SWSI8-pgReportSummary3

• Title: SWSI Report Overview
• Date: 12/1/2004
• Author: CWCB
• SWSI - Doc Type: Overview

Enhancing knowledge and use of existing state and federal
option, for meeting our water needs will have some degree of
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loan and grant programs, and further assessing the need to
uncertainty . T o better facilitate successful implementation, the
expand or revise them
following should be addressed in more detail:
Developing concepts for new funding programs
Addressing gaps in rural areas and smaller water providers
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Enhanced role in informing and educating the public about
The limitations of agricultural users' ability to pay for
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water sources, use, conservation, and options for meeting
needed supply firming and facility enhancements
future needs
Project permitting and mitigation assistance, recognizing
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Refining irrigated acreage loss estimates associated with
that permit requirements and mitigation have resulted in
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agricultural water transfers and incorporating those results
uncertainty and increased project costs for many users,
into Colorado's Decision Support Systems
resulting in many M&I providers moving towards agricultural
transfers due to greater certainty and flexibility
Developing water availability and sustainability estimates
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for non-tributary groundwater areas, especially the Denver
Consideration of a state/federal/local project permitting
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basin and Northern and Southern high plains
assistance "team"
Promoting conjunctive use of surface water and
Monitoring and assisting the State Engineer's Of fice in its
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groundwater resources
Dam Safety Rulemaking to revise the Probable Maximum
Precipitation criteria and Spillway Design Criteria to help
Promoting and facilitating coordinated operations of
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reduce costs of new projects and increase storage
existing facilities and infrastructure
Promoting and supporting multiple-benefit projects and
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8. Develop Requirements for Standardized Annual M&I W ater
solutions
Use Data Reporting
7. Assess Potential New State Roles in Implementing
Objective evaluations, comparisons, and projections of water
Solutions
use from county to county and basin to basin were made more
dif ficult in SWSI's first phase by the lack of a consistent set of
The needs and challenges identified by water providers, users,
M&I water use data. T o facilitate future ef forts, the State should
and stakeholders throughout Colorado suggested that new or
consider developing a standardized water supply and water
expanded State roles in several areas may be worth
use reporting mechanism and work with water providers/users
investigating further , such as:
to develop consensus on the database format and reporting
State role in implementing projects/options to address the
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mechanisms.
remaining gap in each basin, such as possible
reconnaissance or feasibility-level investigations