March 11 08 South Platte Basin Roundtable Meet

• Basin Roundtable: South Platte
• Title: March 08 Minutes
• Date: 3/11/2008
• Basin Roundtables - Doc Type: Minutes

Summary: Colorado was sued in 1990s on Republican River Compact:
Kansas, NE, CO: State created Republican River District in response;
Mr. Bowry is present as Representative from Republican River:
Conservation enhancement program and environment enhancement
program; both are aimed to assist in adhering to the compact;
Project will contribute to compact compliance and will help with
enviromllental enhancement.
Open dialogue with Colorado Division with Water Resources and CSU;
confident in realizing real returns in well retirement;
Map: proposed wells
Questions: How much consumptive use will be retired through this
program?
Based on a conservative estimate, retiring the three wells described in this
application will reduce consumptive use in the basin by between approx.
477 ac ft and 623 ac ft per year depending on precipitation. The actual
figure may be as high as 697 ac ft per year
Question: How advanced are negotiations with the well owners on the
proposed incentive program? Are wells set to retire?
Negotiations mature; specific contract terms discussed; owners motivated
to retire their wells with the combined incentives from this program in
combination with either the Republican River Conservation Enhancement
Program or the Enviromnental Quality Incentives Program. The wells are
set to be retired.
Question: What happens to grant funds if the wells are not in the end
retire?
100% of the $19,984 requested will be returned to South Platte roundtable.
Question: What are the lcey benefits of this project?
The well retirements that will occur under this iiutiative will 1) help CO
meet its water supply obligations under the Republican River Compact
with NE and KS and 2) protect flows that provide critical habitats for
several species of plains fish, including the brassy mimlow, which is listed
as threatened in CO, and the plains minnow, which is listed as endangered.
Protecting the flows in the river will also protect important riparian
wetlands that exist along the live reach of the Aricaree.
Bruce Gerlc: Will there be moiutoring to see the effect this is having?
In terms of compact compliance, measured at Hayland.
For CSU, they are doing moiutoring of ground water at the ranch;
Gerlc: there will be steady benefits on CSU's part.
Ralf Topper: Does the live reach of the Ariclcaree reach the state line?
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