27 ‎(5)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 5/21/2008
• Description: WSP Section - Upper Basin Recovery Implementation Program - 10825 Brief
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Colorado Water Conservation Board ~~~~~~~~

Department of Natural Resources ~
~~,~
~ _ . ~ ~~
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 ~
Denver, Colorado 80203 ~
~

Phone: [phone] ~°}
"', i~.Sf.4y ^..~,~.
~ ~" .
~
Fax: [phone] ~ ~
~ ~ ~.~~~, +
www.cwcb.state.co.us ~ ~ ~ ~ '~ ~~ ~

T0: Board Members Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor

FROM: Randy Seaholm, Rick Brown, Ted Kowalski, and Harris D. Sherman
DNR Executive Director
Todd Doherty
Jennifer L. Gimbel
CWCB Director
DATE: May 12, 2008
Dan McAuliffe
CWCB Deputy Director
SUBJECT: Agenda Item 27, May 20-21, 2008 Board Meeting
Water Supply Protection Section -Upper Basin Recovery
Implementation Program -10825 Brief
Background
Four warm water fish species that use habitat in the lower reaches of the Colorado River basin in
Colorado have been listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Colorado participates in a
Recovery Program to assist in the recovery of these species. One of the provisions contained in
the 15-Mile Reach Programmatic Biological Opinion (under the Upper Colorado River Recovery
Implementation Program) and the Recovery Program agreement is the commitment to provide an
annual delivery of 10,825 acre-feet to the 15-Mile reach ("10825 water"). The water users (both
East Slope and West Slope who have divided this delivery obligation equally) have been
providing this water on a temporary basis from the Williams Fork Reservoir and from Wolford
Mountain Reservoir. The water providers must have permanent agreements in place that identify
a permanent source of 10825 water by December 2009.
Abroad coalition of stakeholders is working collaboratively to examine options to provide the
10825 water. This study has been partially funded through a Water Supply Reserve Account
(Statewide Fund) grant of $200,000 and with contributions from both East Slope and West Slope
water providers of approximately $200,000 combined. The stakeholders published a report in
January 2008. A link to the report is: www.grandriver.us/10825. The report examined eleven
options that were evaluated based on: cost; schedule; the amount of water; engineering
feasibility; water quality; and, other factors. Some of the options that the report considered were:
Sulphur Gulch Reservoir, Lake Granby, Williams Fork Reservoir, Ruedi Reservoir, Buzzard
Creek Reservoir, Wolford Mountain Reservoir, OMID improvements, Green Mountain
Reservoir HUP surplus, and combinations of each of these. Kerry Sundeen, of the Grand River
Consulting Corporation, will provide the Board with a brief overview of this report.
Water Supply Protection • Watershed Protection & Flood Mitigation • Stream & Lake Protection • Water Supply Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate Water Management & Development