Rio Grande - Platoro Reservoir Restoration_Application & Scope of Work

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Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant Application Form Fonn Revised May 2007 • Providing a pristine recreation and fishing resource as we// as the river f7oirs supporting river rafting; • providing flood control benefits during high runoff years; • providing drought relief during critical seater years due to the storage capacity of the reservoir: • providing irrigation i??ater supply, and therefore economic benefits, to several connn unities in southern Colorado, enhancing efficient management of 1rater supplies in the Rio Grande Basin, and ensuring Colorado's commitments to the Rio Grande Compact; and • providing for year-round minimum instream floirs to the river to maintain the fishefv habitat and the river environment. j. The water activity meets one or more of the water management objectives identified in the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, helps implement projects and processes identified as helping meet Colorado's future water needs, and/or addresses the gap areas between available water supply and future need as identified in the Statewide Water Supply Initiative or a roundtable's basin-wide water needs assessment done in accordance with the Colorado Water for the 21 st Century Act. The Rio Grande Basin Roundtable has determined that the single most critical crater issue confi onting this Basin is the current unsustainable management of surface and ground seater. This project addresses the irater° management objectives identified in the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (MV) ,for the Rio Grande Basin as folloirs: • Sustaiuably meet municipal and industrial demands: The District also supplies ('onejos River crater for the municipality ofAntonito. As projected in the SWSI report for the Rio Grande Basin, the range of demands for irater° use expected to occur by the year 2030 shoirs a decrease in Water Supply Limited (WSL), as a result of a projected nrrmicipal and residential groirth pattern, frith an accompanying decrease in the number of irrigated areas. Hoirever, agricultural use is expected to still comprise the majority of uses in 2030. Keeping Platoro Reservoir in excellent operational condition is essential in order to sustainably meet non- agricultural seater use demands currently and in the fixture. • Vustainably meet agricultural demands: According to cnrrentfigrrres fi°om SLVDevelopurent Resources Group, the San Luis Valley provided 38% of C'olorado's agriculture revenues, or S I-13,600,000 in 2007. Ofthis amount, Conejos County alone contributed uS7, 7,300, 000. With respect to this SWSI concern, C'WC D has joined the Valley's agricultural conmrunity in playing David to external Goliaths a number of times. The District has been in tiro major crater fights in the last tirenty or so years, the first being the "Rides and Regulations " case and the second being against American Water Development Inc., or "AWDI ". The Rules and Regulations case pitted the Conejos against all other users in the Valley. Conejos' claim seas that 11