South Platte - Arickaree Well Retirement - Application

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Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant Application Form Fonn Revised May 2007 5. Please summarize the proposed scope of Nvork. Please refer to Part 2 of the Criteria and Guidance document for detailed requirements. On the following page there is an example format for the Scope of Work. You can use the example format or your oivm format, provided that comparable information is included. The scope of Nvork should outline by task hoiv the water activity will be accomplished. It is important that the scope of work detail the specific steps, activities/procedures that Nvill be folloNved to accomplish the Nvater activity and the specific products/deliverables that will be accomplished. The scope of Avork should niclude but not be limited to: task description, key personnel, budget, schedule and deliverables and the final report/project documentation upon completion of the Nvater activity. Note: Most of the tasks associated with this project have been completed at the time and expense of The Nature Conservancy and its collaborators. In aggregate, these tasks have required hundreds of hours of staff time. No . funding is sought to retroactively cover the cost of these activities. The funding sought is to complete the project by directly funding the incentives that TNC is offering to well owners and to cover the cost of an assessment of two inactive wells that may also be candidates for permit retirement incentives. 1. Task 1: Analysis of Well Retirement Benefits and Mechanism for Retirement • Description of task including methods that were used to accomplish the task and identifi- vd-io would undertake the task and description of the major deliverables/products that were produced through the successful completion of the task: The first task that The Nature Conservancy undertook when it began to look at the prospects for well retirements along the Arickaree as a means of protecting and enhancing flows in the Arickaree was to understand the potential impact of retirements on flows. This was done because it would be fiscally irresponsible to spend money to promote retirements if the retirements wouldn't have anypositive impacts on flows. This investigation involved obtaining information from the engineering firm of Helton and Williamsen, the Division of Water Resources, and Colorado Vate University. Each of these entities analyzed the impacts of retirements in different ways, but they till concluded that the retirement of wells close to the Arickaree would result in real benefits for flow. This task is complete, and TNC is satisfied that the activity is fiscally responsible. The second task was to develop a mechanism by which TNC could positively influence well owners to enroll in either the CREP or EOIP for permanent well retirement Working with the Republican River Water Conservation District, TNC attorneys, and the Colorado Division of Water Resources, TNC conservation staff determined that the best mechanism, for offering added incentives to well owners was to develop private, two-party contracts between TNC and individual well owners that set out specific per- acre incentive payments that would be paid based on the well owner's successful enrollment into CREP or EOIP and the permanent retirement of their well permit The basic form of this contract is also complete. Task 2: Well Owner Recruitment and Contracting • Description of task including methods that were used to accomplish the task and identify ivho would undertake the task and description of the major deliverables/products that Nvere produced through the successful completion of the task: Once we were confident that the protect would result in real physical benefits for the flows in the Arickaree and that a private contract was the right tool to use to q tier incentives and secure retirements, TNC and the Republican River Water Conservation District worked 13