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• Board Meeting Date: 5/19/2009
• Description: IWMD Section - Water Supply Reserve Account ‎(WSRA)‎ Criteria and Guidelines
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Revised July 8 10 , 2009
Senate Bill 06-179 adopted by the 2006 General Assembly, created the Water Supply Reserve
Account (Account). The legislation directs the St ate Treasurer to annually transfer ten million
dollars from the Operational Account of the Severance Tax Trust Fund to the Account. The
effective date of the legislation is July 1, 2006. Any balance remaining in the Account at the end
of any fiscal year shall remain in the Account . ; except that the unencumbered and unexpended
balance of the Account shall revert to the Operation Account of the Severance Tax Trust Fund on
June 30, 2011 . Senate Bill 09-106 removed a sunset provision and provides for continuous
appropriation of $10 million (s ubject to availability).
As specified in the statute, the monies in th e Account are continuously appropriated to the
CWCB for water activities iden tified in Section 39-29-109(1 ) (a) (III), Colorado Revised
Statutes (C.R.S.). The legislation states that the CWCB, in consultation with the Interbasin
Compact Committee (IBCC) created in Section 37-75-105, C.R.S., shall jointly establish criteria
and guidelines for allocating moneys by grant or loan from the Account. This document
establishes the criteria and guidelines developed jointly by the IBCC and the CWCB which will
be used by the CWCB to allocate funds from the Account. Amendments to this document may
be proposed at any time by either the IBCC or the CWCB and shall be effective after an annual
program review each October and subsequent approval by both bodies.
Introduction
Applications will be accepted for grants or loans and these criteria and guidelines are for both
grants and loans. These criteria and guidelines do not distinguish or establish preference for
allocating money for grants versus loans. In all cases the merits of the water activity itself will be
the basis for eligibility and evaluation. It is the goal of the CWCB and IBCC to ensure wise and
effective use of monies from the Account
In regard to loans, the CWCB utilizing thes e jointly developed criteria and guidelines will
allocate 0% interest loans from the Account AND offer a match to these loans with low interest
loans (at or below the rate of inflation) from the CWCB perpetual base account. SB 09-106
provides that repayments of both the principal and interest on loans from the account shall be
credited to the account.
Grant and Loan Program Administration
Role of the Interbasin Compact Committee (IBCC):
Jointly (with the CWCB) develop criteria an d guidelines for allocating funds from the
Account.
Annually review information regarding the Account.
In October of each year jointly (with the CWCB) consider and make any necessary
revisions to these criteria and guidelines.
Work with Basin Roundtables (BRT) to develo p local roundtable criteria and guidelines
for approving and recommending water activities that, following recommendations by the
respective BRTs, will be eligible to seek funding from the Account.
Help ensure that data and information from the SWSI and other appropriate sources are
used as the technical basis for requesting funding for a water activity.
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