Arkansas - Upper Ark WCD Hydrologic Water Balance Study_Letters of Support

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UPPER ARKANSAS WATER CONSERVANCY D I S T R 1 C T January 16, 2009 VIA EMAIL ONLY Mr. Todd Doherty Intrastate Water Management and Development Section COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOEIRD 1580 Logan Street, Suite 600 Denver, CO 80203 RECEIVED JAN 17 2009 Colorado Water C;onservation Boan9 Re: WATER SUPPLY RESERVE ACCOL7NT 2009 GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE UPPER ARKANSAS WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT Dear Todd: Attached is the grant application for the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District (UAWCD) to conduct a hydrological water balance study. For the $406,912 project, we are requesting only $180,000 from the Statewide account. We have leveraged the remaining 55% of the project costs from federal and local sources. Without WSRA, UAWCD will miss a compelling window nf opportunity. The window of opportunity is i•elated to the USGS commitment to fund 33% of the project. While USGS internal planning provides some flexibility regarding project start dates, if funding agreements have not been finalized by December 31, uncommitted federal matching funds revert to other USGS projects awaiting funding. The local USGS manager can request an extension beyond December 31 and, if granted, can hold those funds for a few more months. Because the Basin Round Table approved this project, UAWCD plans to accept from USGS the Joint Funding Agreement before the end of January 2009. There are no guarantees without executed funding agreements. By awarding WSRA funds for this March 2009 grant cycle, CWCB will leverage 33% of the study cost and secure USGS federal matching funds for the Phase II and Phase III in the Upper Arkansas basin. The USGS hydrological water balance study results directly contribute to the implementation of the Arkansas Basin Decision Support System (DSS). The District fine-tuned this study to ensure that it was complementary and in no way redundant to CWCB DSS projects, including: The Colorado State University three year 2009-2011 project funded by WSRA at $875,000 for "Data Collection and Assessment in Support of Improved Water Management in the Arkansas River Basin" to gather data needed to implement the Arkansas Basin DSS; on January 12-13, 2009, UAWCD and USGS conducted field reconnaissance in the study area with CSU to jointly select locations for CSU's flow measurements at 8-12 additional streams and canals, CSU's -30 new alluvial wells, and CSU irrigation canal data collection points. Joint decision-making ensures that data will be collected at points appropriate for both CSU and the hydrological water balance study. The CWCB 2009 Scope of Wark for a Feasibility Study for an Arkansas River Decision Support System for a nine month 2009 project to assess data needs and data gaps by conducting -30 interviews with water resource managers and others; the study will allow for precise identification of data needs, especially region-specific spatial delineation of data gaps. PHONE: 719-539-5425 • FAX: 719-539-7579 • P. O. BOX 1090 • SALIDA, COLORADO 81201