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Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant Application Form <br />Fonn Revised May 2007 <br />non-consumptive water interests and needs. The current plan also incorporates consumptive <br />needs of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, the San Luis Talley Water <br />Conservancy District, Rio Grande Water Users, and the Colorado Division of Water <br />Resources. Traditional consumptive interests of irrigation and urban uses have included <br />discussions on the importance ofwell augmentation for private and small commercial wells. <br />Per letter from Rick Basagoitia (Attachment F), the CDOW also has concerns regarding <br />water availability for their non-consumptive needs associated with their state wildlife areas, <br />many of which rely on wells in order to maintain wildlife habitat. The recent initiative to <br />establish groundwater conservation sub-districts within the .San Luis Valley may, have an <br />effect on the amount of water which can be pumped by any, individual well, including wells on <br />state wildlife areas. This emphasises the importance of enlarging present storage-am <br />release capabilities throughout the year to include Transmountain water, thus promoting and <br />maintaining fish populations and recreational activities. In addition, this will assist in the <br />efficient delivery of water for irrigation. <br />By rehabilitating the System and expanding its inventory of multiple uses, this Project <br />capitalises on SMR's forward-looking systems approach. The company's bid process has <br />deliberately sought out the contractor best able to identify and to mitigate deficiencies that <br />might have occurred in the past due to either myopic planning or by planning that did not, at <br />that time, consider the benefits of multiple uses nor optimize non-consumptive uses for <br />riparian health, recreation, and wildlife. This Project, when funded, will address <br />storage release for flood control and improved irrigation water supply, and will proactively, <br />factor in opportunities to expand and enhance. fisheries, recreation, riparian health and <br />wildlife. This Project offers great leverage for the future, putting in place the proper <br />functioning of the entire Continental and :Santa Maria system. This will enable .SMR to <br />operate at top efficiency, avoiding interference with irrigation operations within the Rio <br />Grande Basin and helping to assure that Colorado continues to meet its Rio Grande <br />Compact delivery obligations. <br />• Facilitating Water Activity- Implementation <br />c. Funding from this Account will reduce the uncertainty that the water activity will be <br />implemented. For this criterion the applicant should discuss holy receiving funding from the <br />Account will make a significant difference in the implementation of the water activity- (i.e., <br />how will receiving fimding enable the water activity to move foi ward). <br />Funds from the Water Supply Reserve Account (WSRA) are critical to SMR being able to <br />complete these multi-use enlargement studies. Assessments have remained level at S129,600 <br />per year, based on estimated operating and maintenance costs. SMR also takes in storage <br />fees of $6, 000 from the ,San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District; S1, 200 per year from <br />Tr ansmountain Water; and ,SMR charges $5, 000 per year to lease fishing rights in the Santa <br />Maria to the Santa Maria Trout Club. The company's emergency fund, built up over the <br />years in four CDs, is now at S28.5,000. It is Board policy that this operating reserve is only <br />to be tapped as a last resort or in the case of unforseen needs Without funding from this <br />proposal, this project will not be implemented. <br />8