Water Board Allocates $4 Million to Help Address State Water Needs

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STATE OF COLORADO Colorado Water Conservation Soard Department of Natural Resources 1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 Denver, Colorado 80203 Phone: (303) 86G3~1 FAX: (303) 866-d~7d vL~aw. cvL•cb. state. c o . us News Release Bill Ritter, Jr. Governor 1\Iarch 19, 2006 News contact: Rick Brown xarris D. Sherman For Immediate Release Phone: (303) 866-3514 Executive Director Rod Kuharich CWCB Director WATER BOARD ALLOCATES $4 MILLION Dan McAuliffe TO HELP ADDRESS STATE WATER NEEDS Deputy Director DENVER The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) met this week and approved over $ 4 million dollars in grants for 15 water related projects across the state. "This historic effort is an important first step in helping local communities address their future water needs," said Harris Sherman, Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources. The grants are the first allocation from the Water Supply Reserve Account (Account). The Account was established by the 2006 legislature, and provides $40 million dollars over 4 years to assist local communities and water providers in meeting their water needs. Monies from the Account can be used to address a broad range of needs, including planning studies and project implementation. In addition, monies can be used to address traditional water needs such as municipal and agricultural uses and non-consumptive needs, which include environmental and recreational uses. In order to be eligible for funding, local basin roundtables, which were created by the Water for the 21't Century Act, must first approve the concept before the project is forwarded to the CWCB for consideration. ``This is a very exciting time. We are starting to see a lot of cooperation and collaboration take place in these local roundtables and with the CWCB," said Travis Smith, Chair of the CWCB and member of the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable. The 15 projects are spread throughout the state, with the Colorado River Basin proposing the largest number of projects (6) totaling $ 2,170,000. According to Rick Brown, CWCB manager for the Account, "the Colorado River Basin's applications represent a full range of activities. The projects included enlargement of Eagle Park Reservoir; studies to look at energy water needs in the Colorado River Basin, and the White and Yampa River Basins; and analysis of environmental water needs in the Roaring Fork, Fraser, and Blue Rivers." There are 9 local Basin Roundtables statewide and they will be working closely with the CWCB to ensure that the funds from the Account are used to help meet critical water supply needs for Colorado. In 2004 the CWCB completed the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, which identified that by the year 2030 Colorado will need an additional 630,000 acre feet of water annually to meet human needs for water. One acre foot of water is approximately 325,000 gallons. This is a significant challenge and it is made more difficult by the fact that Coloradoans also value using water for agriculture, environmental and recreational purposes, which in turn support local economies and tourism. The Water Supply Reserve Account is an example of how state support can help local communities begin to addresses challenges. Flood Protection • Water Supply Planning and Finance • Stream and Lake Protection Water Supply Protection • Conservation and Drought Planning