GunnisonComments13

• Basin: Gunnison
• Title: Comments 13
• Date: 6/15/2004
• SWSI - Doc Type: Comments

Upper Gunnison River Water ConseNancy District

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On the recreational side, the Gunnison Paddle Club has expressed an interest in
the development of a white water course on the Taylor River. This would be a mid to
long term option. Please contact Mark Schumacher at 970-641-1303 for more
information.

Concems with the Process

We would also like to briefly set forth some concerns that we have had with the
SWSI process. Many of these concerns have been expressed to the SWSI team by
other members of the roundtables or members of the public during the public
comment periods. While we realize that many of the problems arose because of the
time schedule of the study, we are still hopeful that this feedback can be used to
improve any future studies that are done.

~

While SW~ has eventually been forthcoming with the underlying data used by
the SWSI team in developing its materials, the underlying data was not provided to the
roundtable members prior to the basin meetings. If the underlying data had been
provided to roundtable members prior to the meetings, the roundtable members could
have focused more energy on exploring options to meet any gaps instead of trying to
figure out what information was used and how the total numbers were derived. For
example, if we had been provided with the supporting information for the calculations
of consumptive use, we would have known these reflected the water supply limited
situation that exists in the Upper Gunnison. Similarly, if we had had an opportunity to
review the figures supporting the municipal demand numbers and the amount of future
supply attributed to current projects prior to the roundtable meeting. we could have
corrected the amount actually available to meet More demand. The roundtable
members were selected because of their expertise in the field, Their advance review of
the data would have made the process smoother and have allowed the roundtable
members to be more comfortable with the final conclusions of the study. AddITionally,
complete disclosure and transparency of the information used In the process, to both
the public and the entitles involved, builds trust and credibility for the process and for
Mure work.

It would also have been very helpful for information from the other basins to
have been shared among basins. If statewide planning Is the objective of the study,
different basins can 190m from the ideas being used In other basins as well as educate
themselves and their communities about where water supply gaps exist across the
state. While the SWSI team encouraged attendance of roundtable members at other
basin meetings, the time commitment of attendance and travel to those meetings
made that difficult and other opportunITies for sharing this Information, such as
handouts, emails or timety Internet posting, were not utilized,

We also are very interested in how SWSI will be addressing the issues surrounding
inter-state compacts, particularly the Colorado Compact, and .. interbasin options. "
We support SWSI not Including new inter-basin options in any basin in this report since
6
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