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Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant Application Form <br />Form Revised May 2007 <br />habitat and to expand the recreational value, and enhance the ripario zones. Contractor will prepare plans and <br />specifications to establish necessary capacity in pipeline and will prepare cost estimates for this work to be completed, <br />with an accuracy of plus and minus 10%. <br />Importance: <br />A statewide benefit of this project is that increased storage capacity in Continental and Santa Maria provides new options <br />to store and control additional Rio Grande Compact water, increasing SMR's ability to hold irrigation water during high <br />water regimes (Attachment B), increasing the tivo-reservoir system's value in flood control (Attachment D), and <br />expanding opportunities to seine the water storage and management objectives of third parties. The source of water to <br />Continental is Clear Creek with flows regulated to Santa Maria and from there to the Rio Grande. Continental has been <br />used primarily to store irrigation water for agricultural producers in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Continental also <br />stores CDR water, Rio Grande Compact water, and San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District water, in addition to <br />storage for other entities as needed. Continental's multiple uses include flood control, spectacular high altitude <br />recreational fishing and boating, wildlife habitat, and protection for the bald eagle, in particular. In the Rio Grande <br />Basin, water is overallocated, demands are growing, and river flows and uses are vulnerable to drought and climate <br />change. As of March, 2008, snowpack in the upper Rio Grande Basin, including Platoro Reservoir, is at 155% of <br />average, and this is 177% higher than last year. All regions of the Valley are preparing for high water and <br />potential flood conditions (See floodplain and wetlands of the Vallee in Attachment H). This follows upon a period <br />of six years of drought when irrigation diversions were severely curtailed, in-stream flows were diminished, <br />reservoir storage was reduced. and extensive diversions threatened endangered species. Water uses in Rio Grande <br />headwater areas and in downstream jurisdictions of the Rio Grande Compact were least protected from drought <br />impacts, given a depleted Elephant Butte Reservoir. In such times high drought impacts have drastically reduced <br />stream depths or caused them to be completely dry, increasing the importance of private landowner cooperation for <br />protection and enhancement of wetlands and wildlife potential. When water levels are sufficient to maintain <br />minimum stream flows, the strearnbeds support good to excellent trout fisheries. Lower sections of this system and <br />ponds support a variety of warm water species, with excellent and trophy quality fisheries in normal water years. <br />Such fluctuations in flow require SMR to stabilize and maintain optimum operational flexibility at Continental and <br />Santa Maria. In corning years, just this kind of high variability in the availability of water resources is predicted. <br />Good planning for sustainability in the management of reservoir systems requires increasing the operational <br />flexibility of Santa Maria and Continental - and all reservoirs in the basin -- in order to provide a regular supply <br />that meets water demands. By addressing and curing long-standing deficiencies in the system, SMR provides <br />important multi-use safeguards for the uncertain tunes which lie ahead. <br />Resorts in the area of Creede offer private fishing and hunting and full-service outdoor and dude ranch activities <br />which cater to a higher income clientele. Many of these tourism businesses break even by late surnrner and count on <br />the fall season and the influx of hunters to make a profit. While the Valley has a vast amount of public lands, <br />wetlands, mountain trails, riparian areas, and forest, it is only beginning to tap the Nation's fastest growing nature- <br />based or eco-tourism markets including activities such as wildlife viewing, bird watching, outdoor photography, <br />nature research, and related pursuits (Attachment H). These activities also represent lower impacts on the target <br />areas and lower management costs to public agencies. This project helps to protect downstream dude ranches and <br />tourism facilities from either too much or too little water. It's a very important project. <br />Service Area - Geographic Location: <br />20