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Needs Assessment (2) Surface Water Issues • Need to evaluate the opportunities for additional surface storage in the basin • Need to understand the effect of conjunctive use on the surface water system • Need to enhance late season flows in the Rio Grande • Need to predict and prevent flood damage from the Alamosa River near the confluence with the Rio Grande • Need to understand the interconnection between the ground water, the Rio Grande, and the Conejos River • Need to determine if the operation of Platoro Reservoir is the reason that the Conejos River started constantly flowing again • Need to better quantify return flows • Need a monthly planning model to analyze basin operations • Need to know how a new reservoir would affect surface rights on the Conejos River • Need to know the losses to the Conejos River during both high and low flows • Need to determine where the water lost from the Conejos goes • Need to determine how the Rio Grande Compact affected basin operations • Need to maintain minimum flows in the Rio Grande with minimal effects on other users • Need to balance the priority of water for endangered species with vested water rights • Need to determine the effects of operations and future development on wetlands (3) Water Rights Administration • Need to assess automating some of the compact administration work, including data assembly • Need to provide a tool that helps with water and water rights administration • Need a readily accessible history of past administration • Need real-time diversion data (4) Interstate Compact Issues • Need to know how antecedent ground water conditions affect compact deliveries • Need to design the DSS to be dynamic enough to incorporate RiverWare models • Need tools to provide oversight of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and other activities in the lower Rio Grande basin to protect Colorado interests • Need to know how the operation of the Closed Basin Project affects users in the basin • Need to know if the assumptions upon which the Closed Basin is based are accurate (5) Ground Water Issues • Need to understand the hydrostratigraphy of confined and unconfined aquifers (geologic maps) • Need to develop better input to ground water models • Need improved data to allow understanding of well head and aquifer stratigraphy • Need to understand the effect of conjunctive use on the ground water system • Need to understand the nature of the interconnection between surface streams and the ground water system, particularly in certain key areas • Need to understand how surface and ground water interconnection changes in different areas and with time • Need to understand the connection between confined and unconfined aquifers a454/report/final/needs. doc 07/2&~OS 2-2