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Section 6 Water Needs Assessment 6.1 Method Employed to Assess Water Needs 6.1.1 Cataloging of Potential Water Management Solutions Water management solutions were compiled for each basin based on feedback from Basin Roundtable members, Basin Advisors, available reports, studies, plans, and other sources. While any such catalog of solutions is sure to be temporally dynamic, this analysis provided a basis of evaluating future water needs and priorities throughout Colorado. Water management solutions can be virtually any structural or nonstructural action taken to address one or more water users' needs, such as: ^ Conservation ^ Maximization of existing water rights and water facilities ^ Increased reuse of existing or future consumable water supplies ^ Rehabilitation, reoperation, or enlargement of existing water supply facilities ^ Flow management agreements ^ Water transfers ^ New water supply projects Stand-alone water management solutions, referred to as "options" in SWSI, were identified for all uses and users and compiled for each basin. Based on input from project sponsors and the Basin Roundtables, each option was categorized as one of the following: ^ "Identifi~d Praj~~t~ arrd Process~s°' - those options that are relatively well-defined and can reasonably be expected to be implemented between now and 2030 to address current or increasing water needs. These Identified Projects and Processes are listed in Section 6.2. ^°°Opti~ns f~r Alt~rnativ~s" to meet the remaining gap - options that have implementation issues, are more conceptual in nature, and/or are likely to be implemented in later years. In developing the catalog of options for meeting future needs, it became evident that many entities have developed specific projects or water management solutions to meet their needs ("Identified Projects"), while r~ others had initiated a"process" - an ongoing study or dialogue - to do so ("Identified Processes"). In the latter case, evaluations of different water management solutions might be ongoing, but the entities sponsoring the process have established the process with the intent of ineeting the water needs of one or more users in the future. Other solutions for meeting future needs - the Options for Alternatives - were identified through the Basin Roundtable process as being potentially viable for implementation, but could benefit from implementation assistance or further evaluation as part of a longer-term strategy for meeting needs. Many of the options identified through the Basin Roundtable process that would benefit agricultural, environmental, or recreational users and uses are categorized as Options for Alternatives - rather than Identified Projects and Processes - because their successful implementation is less certain due to issues such as a lack of suitable funding or payment mechanisms, or an inability to pay for the desired solutions. Thus, the Identified Projects and Processes are those solutions that have been identified by the project sponsors or collaborators as moving forward with implementation reasonably expected to occur between now and 2030. For many M&I water providers, part of the Identified Projects and Processes includes increased conservation measures over Level 1 conservation. In keeping with SWSI's intent to not interfere with local planning, SWSI did not seek to judge the merits or probability of success of any individual project. Rather, it was assumed for initial purposes that the Identified Projects and Processes will meet their water supply objectives (e.g., yield) and will be used to address Colorado's 2030 water needs. Monitoring the implementation progress and success of these projects and processes will be needed to determine whether Colorado has adequate water supplies for our citizens. 6.1.2 Assessment of Future M&I and Agricultural Water Needs 6.1.2.1 M&I Needs For each basin, the "remaining supply versus demand gap" for M&I uses was estimated through discussions with water providers and local governmental officials and examination of demand projections. 6-Z S:\REPORIIWORD PROCESSING\REPORllS6 11-8-04.DOC