Rio Grande - Platoro Reservoir Restoration_Application & Scope of Work

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Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant Application Form Fonn Revised May 2007 • Facilitating Water Activity Implementation c. Funding from this Account will reduce the uncertainty that the water activity will be implemented. For this criterion the applicant should discuss how receiving funding from the Account will make a significant difference in the implementation of the water activity (i.e., how will receiving funding enable the water activity to move forward). Without this funding, this Project iromld not be implemented. Fiscal management has been a hallmark of the District, dating back to 1u'hen the Rio Grande Comipact condition eras met in 1985 by Elephant Butte Reservoir spilling. This resulted in Platoro Reservoir being available for use by the District, with continued cooperation of all involved. The cost charged to CWCD by LISBR to operate the reservoir benreen 1985 and 1992 eras exorbitant. The cost in the first year alone, justfor operating the reservoir, ii,as S44, 000. Noiu, CWCD operates the reservoir for S27, 000 a year, 1u,hich includes one salary. Total burdget for the CWCD last year, in 2007, 11'as S342,362, and the Platoro Enterprise budget leas S125,746 of that ansonnt. Funding from the Water Supply Reserve Account iri11 eliminate the uncertainty- that the final phase of this irater° activity irill be implemented. The District's requuestfor Basin funds of S 0, 000 and State funds of S200, 0001rill secure the replacement of the buutteufy valves. These WSRA funds to cover the costs of Phase III of this project irill, in effect, address multiple eonsumiptive and nonconsuniptive needs of the Rio Grande Basin and of the Conejos River, as described above. Receiving funding from the WSRA frill free up funds in Phase I, enabling LISBR to install a by pass systems to meet the required in-stream flow. This,fuunding also enables the District to punt the required resources to Phase II, painting the interior of the discharge tube as required by the LISBR and upgrading the entire penstock area of the discharge pipes by sand blasting and repainting them. In Phase III, frith the funding requested in this proposal, the District will replace the butterfly valves, 1rhich have been leaking for rmam? years and ia,hich noij, have nearly reached the end of their 50 year life. Without this funding this project could not be completed, the repairs could not be undertaken, and the ability of CWCD to continue to maintain these floir levels wound, in time, be jeopardised. All intone from all sources is barely sufficient to make the District's operation and contr°actpayments. We simply cannot afford the total cost of this reservoir rehabilitation, particularly given the trends toirard drier times and the increased likelihood of drought in the furture. We MUST obtain SB-179 furnding for Phase III, the butterfly valve replacement, which is a critical elensent of this Project. d. There is an urgency of need for the water activity and/or any compelling "window of opportunity" that may be missed without funding from the Account. The Engineering Revieir of Operations and Maintenance teans with the LISBR has determined that this irork is necessary- for the sustainable operation of the discharge butterfly valves in order to reliably- control foirs and provide crater to the river from the reservoir. Should the valves fail there may be no control of the riverfloirs and the reservoir storage could be lost, causing a large econonic impact to the downstreans 8