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Arkansas Basin Roundtable Water Transfers Committee: Model Transfers Agriculture to <br />Urban in the Arkansas Basin <br />SCOPE-OF-WORK <br />TASK 1.0: Identification of Model Transfer Characteristics and Major Concerns/Issues to <br />be Addressed When Water is Transferred <br />• Purpose: Given that SWSI has identified a water supply gap for the Arkansas Basin by the <br />year 2030 and anticipates that agriculture to urban water transfers will likely fill that gap, and <br />given that agriculture and urban water stakeholders in the Arkansas Basin desire to avoid <br />the negative effects of earlier "buy and dry" transfers which occurred with little if any <br />mitigation: <br />o Characterize those aspects of earlier "buy and dry" agriculture to urban water <br />transactions which were problematic in order to learn from them, and <br />o Identify those primary characteristics of a model transfer of water from agriculture. to <br />urban uses and the prime concerns/issues which should ideally be addressed when <br />such transfers take place, and <br />o Generate a broad list of potential advisors to assist in completion of the remaining <br />tasks of the project. <br />• Methods and Procedures: Members of the committee will each contribute their lists based <br />on individual research and drawing from professional and personal experience. <br />Subsequently, facilitated discussion will provide consensus on the characteristics and the <br />concerns/issues, which will then form the basis of continued investigation of identified <br />aspects over the course of the project <br />• Deliverable: An initial summary will be drafted by the committee's facilitator, subject to <br />review, revision, and approval of committee members. This initial summary will again be <br />reviewed at the close of the project to include additional considerations which have surfaced <br />during the course of the project. The final report of the committee will include this document. <br />• Deliverable: In addition, issues/concerns uncovered in this task will form the outline for a <br />Water Transfers Guidelines template which the committee will develop over the course of its <br />investigation throughout the project. The template will include considerations to be <br />addressed, questions to be asked pertinent to each consideration, and potential mitigation <br />to be recommended depending on answers to those questions. The template will be a <br />vehicle for those contemplating a transfer (land and water owners, counties, urban areas, <br />etc.) to use in evaluating: <br />o whether to proceed with the transfer, and if so <br />o how best to structure it <br />o how to identify costs and best location <br />o parties to be contacted and involved <br />o potential cumulative impacts, etc. <br />TASK 2.0: Bibliography <br />• Purpose: Seeing value in "not reinventing the wheel", collect pertinent articles and research <br />information regarding agriculture to urban water transfers and related topics which will assist <br />the committee and others in understanding the broad spectrum of issues related to such <br />transfers. <br />? Methods and Procedures: Members of the committee will gather articles for inclusion in the <br />bibliography. Colorado Springs Utilities will produce the bibliography <br />• Deliverable: A CD will be produced for use of the committee and its outside advisors. As <br />additional articles are collected, the bibl,i aranhy will be updated for inclusion in this project's <br />final report. In addition, the finalized bibliography will be made available to other outside <br />individuals and entities, including the IBCC and other roundtables, Colorado Water <br />Congress, Colorado Foundation for Water Education, and those involved in transfers, for <br />their greater understanding of this topic. <br />-1-