Water News: Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District Volume 2 Issue 6

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(TAMARISK continued from page 1) through the Tamarisk Coalition, a non - profit alliance working to restore riparian lands. The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District Board of Directors support the efforts of Senators Campbell, Allard and Domenici and Con- gressman McInnis to pass legis- lation providing the financial tools for the implementation of regional projects for the control of tamarisk and other non- native plant impacting western rivers. The invasive tamarisk plant (also known as salt ce- dar) has reached epidemic propor- tions and is one of the greatest disas- ters to ever befall native riparian ar- eas in the western United States. The tamarisk plant has a deep root system that can root to 100 feet, its leaf litter deposits a salt resi- due on the soil that quickly resprout af- ter fire. Not only does the "Tamarisk Steal Water," but it also crowds out streams and riv- the native plants would use. This is enough water to supply upwards of 20 million people or to irrigate over 1,000,000 acres of land. Although tamarisk is the primary invasive plant impact- ing western rivers, other plants, such as the Russian - olive, co- habitate with tamarisk and are important to control in order to restore riparian health. The Tamarisk Coalition is taking the lead to develop a col- laborative effort between the states of Arizona, California, Colorado. Ne- ers; provides poor habitat for livestock, wild animals, and birds; increases fire hazards; and limits human use of the wa- terways. The tamarisk plant uses sig- nificantly more water than the native vegetation it displaces. It is estimated that the West is los- ing from 2.0 to 4.5 million acre - feet of water per year over what vada, New Mex- ico, Texas, and Utah. The coali- tion is developing partnerships on this effort with the state land - grant universities, U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, na- tional and state Riparian Service Teams, Natural Resources Con- servation Ser- vice, and State Weed Coordina- tors and their De- partments of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For more information on tamarisk or to become a Tama- risk Coalition member visit www.tamariskcoalition.org or contact Tim Carlson, Executive Director, (970) 248 -1683 email tcarlson@tamariskcoalition.org. Written by Margie Miller, Compliance /Administrative Clerk 5 Congratulations Congratulations to General Manager, James Broderick of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District for his re- cent appointment by Governor Bill Owens to the Colorado River Advisory Council. The Colorado River Advisory Council was created under Ex- ecutive Order by Governor Bill Owens. The council was estab- lished to help the State of Colo- rado to develop its position and to protect its interests on the Colorado River, providing advice and guidance to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Executive Director of the Depart- ment of Natural Resources, and the Governor concerning Colo- rado's position and response to the positions of the other states or the U. S. on the Colorado River. 2002 Audit Completed The 2002 Financial audit was completed and received by the Board of Directors at the April Board meeting. Larry Daveline of McPherson, Breyfogle, Daveline & Goodrich, P.C. pre- sented the audit to the Board ex- plaining the items and changes as well as answering questions. A few minor items were noted in the management letter regard- ing internal control and reporting. Overall the financials were given a clean bill of health and the final statements were approved. It was noted that all activity was in compliance with TABOR. Beginning with the 2003 audit, the District will be converting to format changes as required by the Governmental Accounting Stan- dards Board (GASB) 34.