FTF&WATF 5-19-08 Minutes

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 5/19/2008
• Prepared For: FTF
• Prepared By: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Task Force Meeting Materials

STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver I Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

Bill Ritter I Jr.
Governor

COLORADO WATER AVAILABILITY TASK FORCE
& FLOOD TASK FORCE
DRAFT MEETING SUMMARY FOR MAY 19, 2008

I-!arris D. Sherman
DNR Executive Director

J cunifer L. Gimbel
CWCB Director

Dan McAuliffe
CWCB Deputy Director

This summary is from the combined meeting of Colorado's Flood Task Force (FTF) and Water Availability
Task Force (WAIF) held at the Division of Wildlife in Denver, Colorado. The meeting summary and
presentations will be posted on the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) website at
www.cwcb.state.co.lls.ToinquireabouttheFTFcaIITomBrowning.Chair.at [phone] and to
inquire about the WATF call Veva Deheza, Co-Chair at [phone] or Jack Byers, Co-Chair, at 303-
866-3581 x 2114. To report corrections to the meeting summary please contact Joe Busto at [phone].

Report from Governor's Office
. The Governor's Conference on Managing Drought & Climate Risk will be held October 8-10, 2008 in
Denver Colorado. The 2.5 day conference will help water providers, planners, managers, and agency
officials assess drought risk, impacts and preparedness in Colorado. Governor Bill Ritter and Harris
Sherman, Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources, and Inembers of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will be the featured speakers. Online registration starts June
16th and for more information contact the CWCB at [phone].

CWCB Staff Report
. Tom Browning, FTF Chair, provided an overview ofthe meeting and thanked the participants for
attending. Self-introductions were made to start the meeting.
. Kevin Houck, CWCB engineer, provided a 2008 Snowmelt Flood Preparation Summary for March
through May using SNOTEL data sites. The CWCB continues to monitor snowpack and snowmelt
conditions throughout the state. Staff members are looking out for high flows in several key areas (see
attachment). Kevin handed out a color SNODAS map for May 13, 2008 for Colorado that shows snow
water equivalent (SWE) contained in the snowpack.
. Joe Busto, CWCB staff, provided a brief overview ofthe SNODAS project that is an adaptation of
modeled snowpack data for Colorado. The CWCB, USBR, and Riverside Technologies, inc. are tailoring
this NOAA data set for Colorado's watersheds. The 2008 effort will include: strealn flow simulations
using a distributed hydrologic model coupled with SNODAS for the Colorado River Basin, and
providing SNODAS and SNOTEL data and mapping for water managers in the Rio Grande Basin to
track snowpack SWE melt out in several sub-basins in the Rio Grande Basin. Daily mapping of

Colorado Water Conservation Board
Flood Protection. Water Supply Planning and Finance · Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection . Conservation and Drought PI ann ing