16-h

• Board Meeting Date: 11/14/2007
• Description: CF Section - En-bloc Non-Reimbursable Investment Recommendations - Colorado River Curtailment Studies
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Boaxd
Department of Nataral Resources
++*s~a X0'1 tF~9`~r
r3t3 Shaman Street. Roam i21 0 ~
Denver, Cottirado 8U2o3
Ph~nc (303)86634.41 o a
FAX [phone] ~
~~937 ~~
1i F. X10 RAND U M1f Itil] !Etter, Jr
Governor
TO: Colorado Gt•'ater C'onscn~ation Board Finance Committee Hams D. Sherman
DNK Exrcvuve Uuettur
FRO'~1: Randy Seaholm, Chief ~~•'ater Supply protection Program ~~~ Dan McAutt)fe
Ken Knox, Acting State Engineer Arung ewes Direan:
Carol Angel, Colorado Attorney Generals Office
DATE.: '`ovembcr 4, 2007
SL'BJF.CT: Agenda Item 1Gh, tioaemher 14-15, 2007 Board ~9ceting, ~~'ater Supply Planning
and E'inance Section, F.n-bloc \on-Reimbursable investment Recommendations,
Colorado River Curtailment Studies
Background
The recent multi-year drought and increasing interstate and intrastate demands on the
Colorado River has demonstrated that a curtailment of uses of Colorado River water in the tapper
Colorado River Basin and in Colorado is possible under the terms of the Colorado River
Compact. The tJppt:r Colorado River Basin States have an obligation under the Compact to
assure that the 10-year running average of t7ows at Lcc Ferry, Arizana does not tall below 75
million acre tcet (rnaf). The Upper Colorado River Basin States also have an obligation to
provide one-half of any deficiencies in the !.S maf delivery requirement to Mexico pursuant to
the I y44 'Treaty with Mexico. The State of Colorado needs to have a plan for curtailing its uses
of Colorado River water in an orderly and equitabh: fashion should such curtailments be
required.
Discussion
The purpose of this study is to gathcrdata, identify issues associated with the actual
curtailment of uses, and evaluate alternative methods of curtailing Colorado River water users
within the State should the terms of Colorado River Compact fti! to bt: met. The results of the
study wi11 be used by the Colorado Division of w'atcr Resources and State F,nginecr (SEO) to
develop curtailment rules for use in water right administration should curtailments become
necessary. Such rules (after water court and Colorado Supreme Court review) would give water
users more certainty for planning purposes.
Before the SEO promulgates such curtailment rules, several actions are advisable:
Flood Yrotemon • t4'ater Supply P;annmg and Finance . Stream an:l La.c r'rutnYtun
Water Supply Praternon • Conservation and Drought Planning