15d_Directors Report

• Board Meeting Date: 7/21/2009
• Description: Directors' Report - CWCB Director
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

The releases from Granby, Ruedi, Windy Gap, Williams Wolford Mountain, Dillon and Green Mountain
re servoirs are designed to replicate spring peak flows on the Colorado before the dams were built. “This is
a valuable step in in helping to restore these endanger ed species,” said Angela Kanto la, assistant director
of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fis h Recovery Program.
The extra water will flush sediment and build sandbars to improve the mating habitat for four endangered
fish species — the Colorado pikeminnow, the bonytail, razorback sucker and the humpback chub —
along a 15 - mile stretch of the river near Grand Junction. The releases raised the flow of the river about 15
percent, to a peak of 20,000 cubic feet per second, according to the recovery program. Although the
reservoir release program was developed in 1995, there has only been enough water i n the reservoirs for
the relea ses in five years, Kantula said.
The releases, which began in mid - May, sent a cue to fish that it was mating season, along with cleaning
the riverbed cobbles, where the eggs are laid, and creating sandbars, behind which pocke ts of calm water
offer ha bitat for the fry, Kantula said.
Between 1989 and 2008, $187 million has been spent on the recovery program, with about 80 percent
coming from the federal government and funds from hydropower generators. Colorado has contributed
$1 6 million. (Ted Kowalski)
STATEWIDE DROUGHT MITIGATION & RESPONSE PLAN UPDATE –
The OWCDP is
in the process of revising the State Drought and Mitigation Response Plan as required by FEMA. The
first Request for Proposals has gone out and is currently poste d on the Colorado BIDS system. Proposals
th
are due July 17 and OWCDP will likely be selecting a consultant by the end of this month. Bids for
small subtasks of the Drought and Mitigation Response Plan will also be finalized in the coming weeks
with the h ope of having contracts in place in August. The plan will take about a year to fully revise.
(Taryn Hutchins - Cabibi)
STATEWIDE DROUGHT PLANNING WORKSHOPS
–
OWCDP is in the process of creating
a series of one day workshops to educate and inform local wate r providers about the importance of
drought planning in today’s arid Colorado and under changing climatic conditions. The three workshops
will be held in August and September in various locations around the state. (Veva Deheza)
2009 WATER CONSERVATION LE GISLATION –
HB 09 - 1017 was signed by Governor Ritter.
Consequently, the remaining funds in the Water Efficiency Grant Fund can now be utilized. (Veva
Deheza)
WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL SYMPOSIUM: WATER AND LAND USE -
PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE -
Western States Water Council will be holding
their annual symposium September 28 - 30, 2009 at the Red Lion Denver Central Hotel in Denver,
Colorado. WSWC’s stated purpose of the symposium is to “bring together diverse participants from
special districts , cities and counties, state and federal agencies, and nongovernmental organizations,
including policy and decision - makers, planners, developers, and regulators to look at water and land use
patterns, share experiences and concerns, identify problems and p otential solutions, discuss obstacles and
opportunities, and develop recommendations to better integrate and scale water and land use planning for
a sustainable future.” The Symposium agenda is currently being developed.
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CWCB Director’s Report – July 21 - 22, 2009 – Crested Butte, CO