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DWR and CWCB Flood Hardening of Existing Stream Gages Page 2 user needs such as water rights administration, co mpact protection, flood fore casting and warning, and Decision Support System implementati on and use. DWR must maintain the electronics in satellite-linked data collection stations, refurbish gage station infrastructure and non-elec tronic hardware for stations that are deteriorating, harden certain key stations against flood events so t hat we can continue to collect critical, real-time stream flow dat a in times of flood, refurbish/re place cableways used for high flow measurements or implement alter nate means of high flow measurem ent (for subsequent calibration of the upper end of stage-discharge rela tionships), and continue, as necessary, the operation of vital gages which are currently operated by t he United States Geological Survey (USGS). The current request is part of a continuing annual request fo r funds to support this program. Background The Satellite-linked Monitoring Syst em (SMS) has been operating sinc e 1985, starting with 82 linked gaging stations. As the need for t he data has increased, the SM S has expanded. Since inc eption, in excess of 7.5 million dollars has been spent to develop the infrastruc ture of the SMS. Cu rrently, DWR operates and maintains over 450 data collection platforms (DCPs) on rivers, streams, reservoi rs, ditches and canals to collect and transmit basic stream flow and water elevati on data for water administration, including interstate compacts, and flood flow alerts. Collectively, these platforms and the computer equipment in Denver are the Satellite-linked Monitoring System (SMS). The USGS and other entitie s operate an additional 300+ sites in Colorado. The USGS and DWR are working to improve data availab ility and reduce duplication through improved gaging station effectiveness. The SMS provides basic water flow data to the staffs of the Division of Water Resources and Colorado Water Conservation Boar d; to many public and private entities, such as the Cities of Colorado Springs and Aurora, the De nver Water Board, the Arkansas River Compact Commission, Emergency Coordinators for most Colorado counties; to water rights holders; and to many recreationists such as fishermen, rafters, etc. M any programs of the DWR, such as the Dam Safety Program, Colorado River Decision Support System and the Rio Grande Decision Support System, and various river operations spreadsheet s used by the seven Division Enginee rs for water administration were built to rely upon the real-time data acquired throu gh the SMS. Water resources accounting programs utilizing the SMS include the Dolores Project, the Colorado-Big Thompson Pr oject and the Fryingpan- Arkansas River Project. Also CWCB programs, su ch as Stream and Lake Prot ection, Flood Protection and Water Supply Protection utiliz e the real-time data. FY2009-10 Funding Request Replacement of Satellite Telemetry Equipment DWR requests $245,000 in FY2009-10 for the replac ement of out-dated DCPs and associated satellite telemetry equipment and the upgra de of satellite transmission compone nts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates the GOES satellite via which stream stage and water body surface elevation data are telemetered from remote sites to the central computer in Denver. The use of this satellite and all the ancillary hardware and software, includi ng staffing, is valued at over $500 million dollars. The State of Colorado has been able to utilize this system at no charge. By 2001, the use of the GOES satellite system had increased to the point where de mand had begun to exceed sate llite channel capacity. NOAA, therefore, mandated that a ll DCPs using the GOES satellites fo r data transmission must be upgraded by 2013 to transmit data at a faster rate. In addi tion, NOAA, through the Sa tellite Telemetry Interagency Working Group (of which the State of Colorado is a non-voting member) continues to explore means of increasing the capacity of the GOES satellite system. Many of the DCP s that DWR operates can not be upgraded and therefore have to be completely replaced. The useful life of this equipment averages about 8- 10 years, sometimes shorter in the humid and/or harsh cold environments in which the equipment is housed. In order to continue using the present system to collect and transmit basic stream flow and water body elevation data, all sets of electronic equipment must be replaced approximately every 8-10 years. Since DWR operates over 450 total sets of DCP equipmen t this equates to an average of about 45 replacements per year. An important benefit of the high dat a rate upgrade program has been the more frequent (from