11d ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 11/18/2008
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Investigation Study of Fountain Creek flooding issues and mitigation strategies. Staff will be attending
both meetings. The Task Force has also identified a preferred structure, patterned on the Urban Drainage
District serving the Denver metro area, for carrying out the projects necessary to fund and implement the
consensus vision for the Fountain and alleviate flooding problems. Of critical importance to these efforts
was the Nov. 4th decision by Colorado Springs voters to maintain that city's stormwater enterprise fee
collection system, thereby allowing the enterprise to continue its programs to reduce and moderate the
effects of runoff from urban development on Fountain Creek flows. (Steve Mille)
COLORADO RIVER BASIN
200815-MILE REACH FLOW AUGMENTATION COMPLETED -USFWS FLOW
TARGETS MET: Reservoir releases to augment late summer flows in the 15-Mile Reach ceased in
late October. Good spring and early summer runoff was combined with high late season releases from
dedicated fish pools and from the Green Mountain Historic Users Pool (HUP) to maintain the USFWS
wet year flow target of 1640 cfs through September. With warm fall weather and declining river flows,
the USFWS dropped the target flows to 1500 cfs and then 1400 cfs for late September and October, and
those flow targets were met by continued high releases.
Participants met at least weekly to coordinate the reservoir releases. There was very good cooperation
among all parties this year, and several side agreements between certain parties. These allowed some of
the reservoir releases to be timed to also meet flow needs in upstream reaches in Grand County, and at the
Shoshone Power Plant during times when the power plant was not calling. After coming back online this
spring after major repairs to the failed penstock last year, Shoshone Power Plant was down for repairs
much of the summer due to new damage from debris during the high spring runoff.
The H[TP managing entities agreed to release a large volume of water this year during the dry fall
conditions, and therefore the HUP content is slightly less than 5,000 AF. In recent years, September and
October precipitation has helped sustain the target flows and the HUP content has been 10,000 to 30,000
AF at the end of October. (Michelle Garrison)
BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON -FEDERAL RESERVED WATER RIGHT
SETTLEMENT: We continue to wait for a few of the supporting documents to be completed prior to
everyone signing off on the Settlement Stipulations. We remain hopeful that this process can be
completed in the next 30-days or so. We certainly would like to present the stipulations and proposed
decree to the water court before the end of the year. (Randy Seaholrn)
UPPER COLORADO RIVER WILD AND SCENIC ALTERNATIVES GROUP: The Upper
Colorado River wild and Scenic Alternatives Group are finalizing an Implementation Outline for
submission to the Bureau of Land Management. The deadline for submission of this document to the
BLM is November 14, 2008; however, this draft will be further revised and developed over the next year
while BLM conducts its NEPA analysis. This topic is on the Board's November agenda and the most
recent version of the implementation outline will be provided to the Board for discussion and comment at
the Board meeting. As described in previous Directors' reports, additional money will be needed for
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