Arkansas - UAWCD Telemetry Data Collection_Water Activity Summary

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Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant and Loan Program Water Activity Summary Sheet Applicant: Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District Water Activity Name: Telemetry Data Collection Platforms at Six Reservoirs plus Flow Control Equipment and Gauging at Six Reservoir Outlet Channels and Nine Streams within the Upper Arkansas River Basin Amount Requested: $285,332 Source of Funds: $75,000 (Arkansas Basin Account) and $210,332 (Statewide Account) Matching Funds: $529,884 Water Activity Purpose: Structural water project or activity County: Chaffee, Fremont, Custer Drainage Basin: Arkansas River Water Source: Arkansas River Basin Staff Recommendation Staff recommends approval of up to $75,000 from the Arkansas Basin Account and $210,332 from the Statewide Account to help complete the Telemetry Data Collection Platforms and Gauging in the Upper Arkansas River Basin project contingent on resolution of the items in the issues/additional needs section. Water Activity Summary: The Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District (District) proposes to install telemetry data collection platforms at six reservoirs and flow control equipment and related gauges at 15 locations, which include the outlet channels for the six reservoirs and nine other locations in the Upper Arkansas Basin. The structural water activity will generate data that will be used to better manage water within the District's 2-million-acre service area at the headwaters of the Arkansas River. Threshold and Evaluation Criteria This application meets all four of the threshold criteria: (1) Eligibility requirements; (2) Consistency with Section 37-75-102 C.R.S.; (3) Approval from the Arkansas BRT; and (4) Meeting provisions in 37-75-104 (2) (c) C.R.S. The application also meets numerous criteria in each of the four evaluation criteria categories: (A) Promoting Collaboration and Cooperation; (B) Facilitating Water Activity Implementation; (C) Meeting Water Management Goals and Objectives and Identified Water Needs; and (D) the Water Activity Addresses Issues of Statewide Value. Discussion: The water activity includes construction of (1) state-of-the-art weather and data collection platforms at six high elevation reservoirs at the headwaters of the Arkansas River, and (2) flow control equipment and gauging instrumentation at 15 stream locations in the Upper Arkansas Basin. Many of the locations are remote and difficult to access during the winter. The telemetry platforms will allow data collection at times that otherwise would be very difficult or impossible. Additionally, there are very few existing gauging stations in the District. The additional gauging stations installed for this project