Finance Committee Meeting 2008

• Board Meeting Date: 9/16/2008
• Description: Finance Sub-Committee Meeting September 16, 2008
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board CONSB.�
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street,Room 721 •
Denver,Colorado 80203 4 I
Phone:[phone] of .
Fax:[phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us a 1931
Bill Ritter,Jr.
TO: Board Members
Governor
Harris D.Sherman
FROM: Todd Doherty DNR Executive Director
12, 2008 Jennifer L.Gimbel
DATE: July CWCB Director
SUBJECT: Agenda Item 11—July 2 23 2008 Board Meeting Dan McAuliffe
g Y - � g CWCB Deputy Director
Intrastate Water Management and Development--
Alternative Agricultural Water Transfer Methods Grant Program
Staff Recommendation:
Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District:
• If the CWCB approves the applicant's analysis regarding the project's effects on
water and property rights (anti-trust analysis), staff recommends funding up to
• $320,000 for the LAVWCD Super Ditch Company project.
• Staff also recommends that the Board approve the applicant's revised scope of work.
Parker Water and Sanitation District:
• Staff recommends funding up to $477,500 for the PWSD Lower South Platte
Irrigation Research and Demonstration Project.
Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company(FRICO):
• Staff recommends funding up to $202,500 for the Alternative Water Transfers in the
South Platte Basin using the FRICO System Project.
Background
The 2007 Legislature approved the Colorado Water Conservation(CWCB) to develop a
competitive grant program to advance various agricultural transfer methods as alternatives to
permanent dry-up in the Arkansas and South Platte Basins (authorized under SB 07-122). This
was in part a response to the increasing concern that the growing population and the associated
urbanization is resulting in record levels of agricultural land dry-up. The Statewide Water Supply
Initiative (SWSI) indicated that over 500,000 irrigated acres could be lost by 2030 with most of
those in the Arkansas and South Platte basins. Agricultural has many significant benefits
including habitat, open space and helps to sustain rural economies. Without a sustainable
agricultural industry many small rural communities could not survive. When the Legislature
approved this grant program, the goal was to further advance alternative methods to "buy and
dry"that provide long-term reliable M&I water supplies while sustaining those important rural
agricultural dependent towns and economies.
Water Supply Protection•Watershed Protection&Flood Mitigation•Stream&Lake Protection•Water Supply Planning&Finance
Water Conservation&Drought Planning•Intrastate Water Management&Development