S6_11-15-04

• Basin: Statewide
• Title: SWSI Phase 1 Report - Section 6 Water Needs Assessment
• Date: 11/15/2004
• Author: CWCB
• SWSI - Doc Type: Final Report

Section 6
Water Needs Assessment
Summit and Grand Counties anticipate significant M&I
gaps and environmental and recreational shortages as a
result of existing transbasin diversions and planned
future increases in transbasin diversions as a result of
the Denver North System (Moffat Tunnel) firming project
and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District
(NCWCD) Windy Gap firming project. These two projects
have water rights senior to much of the in-basin M&I
rights. The UPCO process has outlined potential
solutions, but these solutions have a high level of
uncertainty and implementation challenges due to lack of
physical availability of water and permitting issues for
any structural alternatives. As a result, gaps are shown in
Grand and Summit Counties. (Upper Colorado River
Study 2003).
Some agricultural water shortages are expected to
continue for Water Districts 45, 53, and 70. Contract
water that is available out of Ruedi, Green Mountain, and
Wolford Reservoirs could be used to address this issue
for downstream mainstem diverters, but the cost of
reservoir contract water generally exceeds the ability to
pay for most agricultural users. In addition, much of the
agricultural shortages are on side tributaries that are
limited by physical supply and new storage developed
locally on these side tributaries would be required to
carry over water to later in the irrigation season to
address these shortages.
Further detail regarding the Identified Projects and
Processes and areas of gap for the Colorado Basin are
provided in Table 6-8. Gaps for Summit and Grand
Counties were extrapolated from the UPCO Study based
on SWSI growth projections. SWSI and UPCO growth
projections match well for Summit County where 2030
SWSI demand projections are within 5 percent of the
UPCO buildout demand. The UPCO buildout demand for
Grand County, however, is significantly higher than the
2030 SWSI demands and the UPCO shortages at
buildout were pro-rated to the 2030 SWSI demands. As a
result, the 2030 gap for Grand County may be
overstated, but this gap would occur as demands
increase beyond those projected by SWSI (NWCOG
2004).
Table 6-8 Deta iled Identified Proje cts and Proce
. sses for Co lorado Basin
9 .•
Eagle Eagle River 0 U Provider for Vail, Eagle-Vail, Beaver Creek, John Currier
Water and Edwards, and Avon.
Sanitation
Gypsum 0 N Have Storage contracts (Eagle Park, Green Tom Zancanella, consultant
Mountain and Wolford Mountain) plus to Gypsum
historic consumptive use credits. Working
on developing 500 AF of storage above
water treatrnent plant.
Mid Valley 0 U Serves unincorporated area beiween Basalt John Currier
Metropolitan and Carbondale. New developments must
District bring water - usually Ruedi contracts or
agricultural dry-up.
Unincorporated 0 U Should be able to purchase Ruedi contracts. John Currier
areas in Eagle
County not
served by a
Water District
Minturn 0 U New development is required to bring water. John Currier
This is usually agricultural water that is
irrigating the land to be developed.
Garfield Basalt Water 0 U Provides augmentation water for John Currier
Conservancy unincorporated areas, usually via Ruedi and
District Green Mountain Contracts.
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