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Preliminary Approach <br />4.0 APPROACH <br />4.1 Tasks <br />The following tasks will be completed: <br />1. Stakeholder involvement will be considered throughout the course of this project. Tasks included in <br />stakeholder involvement include the following: <br />a. The Study Team will communicate project activities with the water owners, intended water users, and <br />stakeholders via a series of progress meetings throughout the project. The goal of this task will be to <br />gain buy in through public outreach and stakeholder involvement in the process. <br />b. A coordinating committee will be formed consisting of key personnel from the water owners, intended <br />water users, and stakeholders to work closely and coordinate with the Study Team and provide peer <br />review during the course of the project. <br />2. A ditch wide consumptive use study will be completed for the water owner. This study, if adopted by the <br />ditch board and engineers supporting change of use cases, could be the engineering basis for all future <br />change cases for the ditch company. It would help ensure that, if water is transferred out of the ditch, the <br />remaining shareholders who would like to continue farming are protected and will continue to receive an <br />amount of water commensurate with their historical needs. <br />3. Availability of acceptable future municipal water demand forecasts for the intended water user (assuming <br />it is municipality) will be determined and, if necessary, required updating of these demand forecasts will be <br />completed in order to determine the likely rates of demand growth for which these towns or cities must <br />obtain additional water supplies. <br />4. Determine the list of alternatives to buy and dry that should be considered for transfer of the owner's <br />water to the intended water user including: <br />a. Changes in diversion and other structures to save water and increase efficiency, <br />b. Rotational fallowing, <br />c. Interruptible water supply agreements, <br />d. Consumptive use reduction through efficiencies and leaseback of agricultural lands, <br />e. A water bank <br />£ Alternative cropping <br />g. Deficit irrigation <br />5. Investigate the potential to exchange water from various points along the South Platte and/or the <br />Arkansas River. <br />6. Investigate legal, institutional and technical obstacles to the practical and feasible implementation of these <br />alternatives to buy and dry which exist in: (a) the South Platte or Arkansas Basins and (b) elsewhere in <br />Colorado and provide recommendations for resolving these obstacles. <br />7. Complete an economic feasibility/business practice study to develop a feasible and practical alternative <br />program to buy and dry with which the water owner can transfer water to the intended water user while <br />meeting other stakeholder objectives for promoting sustainable agriculture. <br />8. Provide necessary deliverables to the water owners and intended water user which will actually allow them <br />to do the deal including: <br />~r ~ ~ <br />2 <br />M:\FY2008\CWCB\S Platte and Arkansas Alternative Agriculture Grant\Proposal\Generalized Approach for Letter of Intent 3-25-08.doc <br />