Changes to Colorado's Depletions Plan Assumptions

• File Number: 8461.250
• Description: Water Issues
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 3/31/2008
• Author: Ted Kowalski, Alan Berryman
• Title: Changes to Colorado's Depletions Plan Assumptions
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Board Memo

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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
MEMORANDUM
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor

To:
Governance Committee-GC, Platte River Recovery Harris D. Sherman
DNR Executive Director
Implementation Program (PRRIP)
From: Ted Kowalski, State of Colorado, GC Alt. Re resentative
p Jennifer L. Gimbel
CWCB Director
Alan Berryman, Colorado Water User GC Member
Date: March 31 2008
? Dan McAuliffe
CWCB Deputy Director
Re: Changes to Colorado's Depletions Plan Assumptions
Colorado is diligently conducting work to complete its initial depletions report for the Platte
River Recovery Implementation Program, which is due at the end of 2008. In the course of this
work, we have discovered new information related to population estimates that affects the
assumptions relied upon by the Program. Colorado is raising this issue to the Governance
Committee in order to assure transparency and in order to obtain the Governance Committee's
support for Colorado's proposed approach. At the time the Cooperative Agreement was signed
in 1997, the City of Broomfield was included in three different counties-Boulder, Adams and
Jefferson counties. Since the 1997 baseline was established, Broomfield has become a separate
county. Geographically, Broomfield county is located right on the border of the North and
Central Regions (See the attached map). In 1997, 45% of the population was located in the
Central Region (Adams and Jefferson Counties) and 55% of the population was located in the
North Region (Boulder County). Colorado is proposing to divide the population of Broomfield
County between the Central and North Regions by the same percentages that existed when the
1997 baseline was determined. This oversight was not reflected in the original letter of the State
Demographer, submitted in March, 2007. As such, we have attached a revised and updated letter
from the State Demographer with Broomfield County divided into the two regions on a
percentage basis.
Colorado would also like to obtain the Governance Committee's support for the appropriate
deadline for Colorado's initial report. The Program document states: "The initial Reporting
Period will be two years from the initiation of a Program." The Program document does not say
when the initial report is due. Colorado is requesting that the Governance Committee authorize
Colorado to submit the initial report to the Governance Committee by March 31, 2009, in order
to allow Colorado to have enough time to assemble the information from the initial reporting
period into a report.
Attachments.
Water Supply Protection • Watershed Protection & Flood Mitigation • Stream & Lake Protection • Water Supply Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate Water Management & Development