06d

• Board Meeting Date: 5/20/2008
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

This year, Aurora is leasing the High Line 3,000 acre-feet of water at $5 per acre-foot. The city also
provided help to the canal for clearing weeds this year. (Source: High Country News)
SOUTHWESTERN RIVER BASINS
NAVAJO RESERVED WATER RIGHT SETTLEMENT AND NAVAJO-GALLUP
PIPELINE PROJECT - S. 1171, the Navajo Settlement Bill, was reported out of the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on May 7th. We have been watching this proposed Bill
given that Arizona would like to have the 6,411 AF allocated in the Navajo-Gallup Pipeline for use on the
Navajo Reservation in Arizona considered Central Arizona Project water. The Bill was passed out of
Committee with language in Section 303(c) that is neutral on the subject of whether or not diversions
through the Navajo-Gallup Pipeline to the Navajo Reservation in Arizona could be charged to Arizona's
Central Arizona Project allocation.
Staff is strongly opposed to Arizona's proposed language and fails to understand why Arizona is not
willing to charge the 6,411 AF allocated for the Navajo Settlement to their 50,000 AF Upper Colorado
River Basin allocation. We are opposed to a Lower Division State taking water out of an upper basin
tributary and simply reducing the delivery out of Lake Powell and at Lee Ferry. Allowing such could
deprive downstream San Juan River water users of water by allowing Arizona to claim it now has 56,411
AF available to them from the San Juan River and could adversely impact the accounting under the
recently adopted Interim Guidelines for the Coordinated Operations of Lakes Powell and Mead (Does
calling it CAP water keep Mead higher or lower, should returns be available for ICS or DSS?).
In addition, a diversion that bypasses the Glen Canyon Plant will result in power interference and a
reduction in CRSP revenues credited to the Upper Basin Fund. Finally, the proposed Bill would provide
Arizona and CAP certain benefits from the San Juan Recovery Program, a program that Arizona is not
participating in. Staff would like to see language forcing Arizona to account for any Navajo-Arizona
settlement water as part of Arizona's Upper Basin allocation. (Randy Seaholm)
DRAFT EIS AND SAN JUAN LANDS MANAGEMENT PLAN - On April 1 1, the CWCB, the
Division of Wildlife, and the Colorado Department of Parks and Recreation submitted comments on the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the Draft San Juan Lands Management Plan. A copy of the
CWCB comment letter is attached to this report. In addition, there will be an opportunity to discuss these
comments at the Board meeting. (Randy Seaholm)
RIVER PROTECTION WORKGROUP -The River Protection Workgroup ("RPW") and steering
committee continue to meet in order to develop a cooperative river management plan for Hermosa Creek.
After the RPW completes work on the Hermosa Creek watershed, this effort may be used as a model to
address other watersheds in the San Juan basin. Ted Kowalski and Linda Bassi, continue to provide
support and state resources towards this process. The next RPW public meeting will be on June 3, at 6:30
p.m. This issue will be discussed at the Board meeting. (Ted Kowalski)
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