19_Tamarisk

• Board Meeting Date: 7/22/2008
• Description: WSP Section - Tamarisk Grant Program Proposed Guidlines
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us
T0: Colorado Water Conservation Board
FROM: Steve Miller, Water Supply Protection Section
DATE: July 21, 2008
RE: Agenda Item 19 July 22-23, 2008 Board Meeting
Water Supply Protection Section -Tamarisk Grant Program
Proposed Guidance
Bill Ritter, Jr.
r
governor
Harris D. Sherman
DNR Executive Director
Jennifer L. Gimbel
~WCB Director
Dan McAuliffe
~WCB Deputy Director
Introduction:
This item is to seek the Board's review and preliminary approval of criteria and procedures to establish
and implement the new Tamarisk Control Cost-Sharing Grant Program as authorized by the 2008 CWCB
Projects Bill.
Discussion:
Section 29 of HB08-1346, which authorized a new $1 million Tamarisk Control Cost-Sharing Grant
Program and the set of "talking points" used to brief the General Assembly during bill consideration are
attached for reference. While Section 29 only refers to tamarisk, also known as salt cedar, it was the
intent of staff and the Board that reference to tamarisk also include Russian olive, another woody invasive
phreatophyte. EDO has confirmed that Sen. Isgar and Rep. Curry understood and intended that the
Board's Tamarisk Control Program would also address Russian olive control, despite the silence as to
Russian olive in section 29. Therefore all further reference to tamarisk is understood to include Russian
olive or tamarisk /Russian olive ("TRO").
It was hoped that the Board's new program would provide a source ofnon-federal cost-sharing for
participants in a new federal TRO control demonstration program, but federal funds have not yet been
appropriated. Even with the lack of federal funding, there is an enormous pent up demand for funds to
assist local control activities in Colorado and the Board's new program is eagerly anticipated. Many local
groups are prepared to make up for the federal funds shortfall.
A proposed schedule and outline of program criteria and application procedures is attached for Board
review and comment. Final documents, to be prepared after this Board input, will be patterned on, and
utilize as templates documents developed by the Watershed Protection and Flood Mitigation section for
the Colorado Watershed Protection Fund and the Fish and Wildlife Resources Fund grant programs. It is
proposed that the Board review the criteria and procedures, but not individual project selections.
Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the Board give preliminary or conceptual approval to the attached outline
Tamarisk Control Cost-Sharing Grant Program criteria and procedures, as discussed today and modified
by Board comments. Further the Board authorizes staff to solicit input on this criteria from interested
parties, and incorporate such comments into a revised final criteria and application to be used to solicit
and select grant projects in November.
Water Supply Protection • Watershed Protection & Flood Mitigation • Stream & Lake Protection • Water Supply Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate Water Management & Development