19 ‎(8)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 7/22/2009
• Description: WSP Section - Platte River Program - Water Obligation Issues
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO

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1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: (303) 866 - 3441
Fax: (303) 866 - 4474
www.cwcb.state.co.us

Bill Ritter, Jr.
MEMORANDUM
Governor

Harr is D. Sherman
TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board Members
DNR Executive Director

Jennifer L. Gimbel
FROM:
Ted Kowalski , Program Manager
CWCB Director

Dan McAuliffe
Agenda Item 19 , July 21 - 22 , 2009 Board Meeting
SUBJECT:
CWCB Deputy Director
Water Supply Protection Section

Platte River Recovery Implementation Program

Background
As we discussed in January of this year, i n 2006, the Governors of Wyoming, Colorado and
Nebraska, and the Secr etary of the Interior signed t he Platte River Recovery Implementation
Program The
Program is an incremental program with the first increment set at 13 years. Congress passed
authorizing legislation that President Bush enacted into law in May 2008. By way of a reminder,
there are financial obligations, land obligations, monitoring and implementation obligations, and
water obligations.

With regard to the water obligations there are three issues tha t are ripe for discussion with the
CWCB at this time. First, in the cooperative agreement each State agreed to work with the
federal agencies to provide up to 350 acre - feet annually for federal coverage of new depletions
associated with federal actions. Within this cont ext, in order to cover certain federal new
depletions within both the South Platte and the North Platte basins within Colorado, I have
worked with various stakeholders to develop an MOU between the South Platte Water Related
Activities Prog
for the South Platte basin, and with each of those parties and the Jackson County Water
in the case of the North Platte basin. Second, I have b ee n
working with the District, representatives of the federal government, and SPWRAP to develop
an amendment to Colorad e hope to take this proposed amended
future depletions plan to the Platte River Program Governance Committe e in August for their
approval. I have provided a description of the future depletions plan amendment below. T hird,
the Water Action Committee has formed a subcommittee , called the Water Action Planning
to develop a Water Action Plan for t he Program. This Water Action Plan is
required to provide , on average , 50,000 acre - feet to 70,000 acre - feet annually to the Platte River.
Money contributed to the Program pays for the Plan implementation. More information follows.

Watershed Protection & Flood Mitigation er Supply Planning & Finance