CRDSS_Task1_19-1_CRDSSUserSurvey

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Private water consultants (technical assistance to irrigation districts, etc. ) ? U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (federal water project operations and management) ? CWCB (project approvals, instream flows, interstate coordination) ? DWR (water rights administration) ? Appendix C lists the participants completing the survey questionnaire. For purposes of later discussion it is useful to distinguish between internal and external users. Internal users are staff of the CWCB and DWR. External users are everyone else. The project is funded and managed under the auspices of the CWCB/DWR, and these agencies will be key users of the CRDSS; therefore, it is important that the system meet their needs. External users having interest in the CRDSS databases and models would arrange with the State to obtain access to and participate in further development of the CRDSS. Other agencies were contacted to participate, but were either not able to attend or chose not to. Included among these were U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, environmental organizations (e.g., Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy), regional planning agencies, Native American agencies, and various municipal water suppliers. It should be noted that participation in the workshops is not considered endorsement or approval of the CRDSS, nor does non-participation indicate lack of interest. Participation by an external agency is always possible at another time. For example, a CRDSS presentation will be made at the Colorado River Headwaters Forum at the invitation of the Summit County Regional Council of Governments. Agency Purposes and Uses of CRDSS Characterization of the types of agency purposes and jobs represented in the user survey is suggested by the matrix below. Jobs and uses include 1) regulatory controls, 2) studies and plans, 3) water services, 4) daily operations, and 5) interstate issues. The levels of users include the staffing categories of 1) operations support, 2) analysts and engineers, and 3) decision makers/administrators. Participants in the survey can generally be categorized within the matrix. The primary state regulatory agencies are the DWR and CWCB. The DWR?s emphasis is mainly on daily operations for water rights administration, but they also do a considerable amount of studies to support water rights adjudications and approval of development plans. The CWCB?s instream flow studies address management of the state?s instream flow rights; there is also considerable activity in the study of interstate water management schemes, flows to enhance endangered fisheries, and studies to determine developable water supply. 8 A 275 01.09.95 1.19-1 Johnson, Grigg, Tang