Rio Grande - Platoro Reservoir Restoration_Application & Scope of Work

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Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant Application Form Fonn Revised May 2007 • The Water Activity Addresses Issues of Statewide Value o. The water activity helps sustain agriculture, and open space, or meets environmental or recreational needs. The multiple needs of agriculture, environment and recreation addressed by this project irere identified by an assessment performed by Dennis Christenson of Registry for Hydro Managers and Engineers and are listed in (i) above. These multiple needs ircre also addressed by industrial hygienist Steve Herron, ofAIH Both reports are attached in Attachment H. Of major statei ride import, this crater activity sustains an area comprised by the District's boundaries of abouut 100, 000 acres, frith 86, 000 acres capable of being irrigated. Approximately 46 different ditches use Platoro to either store some of their own water and or to purchase water stored under the District decree. An additional 8, 000 acres that are not within the boundaries of the District are also irrigated by the Conejos and its tributaries. Irrigation for agriculture not only sustains the [alley's economy but does double duty, supporting important ecosysteins for wildlife. Since only 10% of the Valley's 300, 000 acres of nationally and internationally important iretlands are publicly oirned, a lot depends on private landoirner cooperation for protection and enhancement of iretlands and irldlife potential. Water quality in the Conejos and the Rio Grande systems is generally high, and i Men i rater levels are suafficient to maintain minimum stream fola's, the strearrubeds support good to excellent trouut f sheries. Loirer sections of this systein and ponds support a variety of warnnrater species. The same holds truce f r Platoro Reservoir, inhich can have excellent and trophy quality fisheries in normal crater years. Recreational boating on the reservoir requires higher crater levels to be iaintained. In drought years, such as in 3003, 1rater conditions in the Platoro Reservoir and in the irldlife areas of the Conejos Canyon depend mainly on any crater remaining after agricultural priorities and compact obligations have been satisfied. In such times high drought impacts have drastically reduced stream flows or caused them to be completely dry. Proper fuunetioning of the works at Platoro ensures that CWCD is prepared to ensure that mandated minimumu floirs are maintained. In contrast, currently, as ofMarch, 3008, snoijpack in the upper Rio Grande Basin, including Platoro Reservoir, is at 155°o of average, and this is 177% higher than last year. At this irriting, all regions of the San Luis Valley are preparing for high water and potential food conditions. Such drastic, luctuations require CWCD to maintain optimum operational flexibility and maximum storage capacity at Platoro Reservoir. Resorts in the Conejos Canyon offer private fishing and hunting and fuull- service outdoor and dude ranch activities which cater to a relatively higher income clientele. Many of these tourism businesses break even by late sunnner and count on the fall season and the influx of hunters to make a profit. While the San Luis Valley has a vast amount of public lands, iretlands, mountain trails, riparian areas, and forest, according the SLVDevelopmentResources' demographic studies, the region is only beginning to tap the nation's fastest growing nature-based or eeo-tourism markets. 16