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• Board Meeting Date: 7/22/2009
• Description: WSP Section - Upper Colorado River ESA Recovery Program - 10825 - Tuedi Reservoir Update
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Deneer, Colorado 30203
Phone: [phone]
F1x:[phone]
ww~u.cwcb.state.co.us
MEMORANDUM
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Go~ ernor
Harris D. Sherman
TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board Members ~Nx Exe~uc~~~e ~~re~cor
Jeimifer L. Gimbel
FROM: Randy Seaholm cwcs ~~re~cor
Chief
Water Supply Protection
, ~~,M~aui~r~e
CWCB Deput}~ Director
DATE: July 14, 2009
SUBJECT: Agenda Item 21, July 21-22, 2009, Board Meeting -
Ruedi Reservoir -10825 AF for Endangered Fish in the 15-Mile Reach
Background
Ruedi Reservoir is a component of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project located upstream of
the Town of Basalt on the Fryingpan River in western Colorado. Ruedi storage provides: 1)
28,000 AF' of replacement water that allows out of priority diversions by the project to the east
slope; and 2) 51,500 AF' of marketable water for west slope uses. Ruedi Reservoir construction
was coinpleted in 1969. Following a 10-year developinent period that ran through 1969, a 40-
year repayinent period was initiated with full payinent of the proj ect due in 2019.
Of the 101,278 AF' of active conservation storage, 21,778 AF' is for recreation and
considered non-reiinbursable. Reiinbursable capital costs were assigned to east and west slope
beneficiaries of the project. The east slope obligation of $7.6 inillion was assigned to
Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District for the 28,000 AF' of replaceinent pooL The
West slope obligation of $9.312 inillion was assigned to the 51,500 AF' of water available for
sale to west slope entities. West slope water sales were divided into two rounds. Round I water
sales were $1.419 million (7,850 AF'). The remaining capital cost of $7.893 million was
assigned to the reinaining 43,650 AF'. However, 5,000 AF' of Round II water was assigned to
endangered fish as a result of a biological opinion on Round II sales (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, June 1987), leaving 38,650 AF' to be inarketed in Round II.
No Round II water was marketed until 1996 due to lack of demand. Under the amended
biological opinion, USBR proceeded to process up to 6,135 AF' of Ruedi Round II water sale
contracts but waited to process the reinainder of the 17,000 AF' (6,135 AF' plus the reinaining
10,865 AF') of Ruedi Round II water sale contracts until after the interiin long-terin 2012
agreeinent is signed. The contractors for this water have reduced the debt on Ruedi through their
payments and have paid their share of annual operations, maintenance, and replacement
(OM&R) charges on Ruedi Reservoir. To date 21,650 AF' of Ruedi Reservoir Round II water
has not been permanently marketed. Delayed marketing and the currently non-contracted water
has substantially increased the west slope debt on Ruedi Round II water and continues to
increase the cost of reinaining Ruedi Round II water available for inarketing.
Water Supply Protection • RTatershed Protection & Flood lbtitigation • Stream & Lake Protection • Water Supplp Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate Water Management & Development