Letter from Southwestern Water Conservation District

• Description: Related to CRSP MOA
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 6/30/2011
• Author: John Porter
• Title: Letter from Southwestern Water Conservation District
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Budget

THE SOUTHWESTERN WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Formed by the State Legislature in 1941 to Protect,Conserve,and Develop Water in the
SAN JUAN AND DOLORES RIVERS AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES
IN SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO
West Building—841 East Second Avenue
DURANGO,COLORADO 81301
[phone]—Fax[phone]
June 30,2011
Jennifer Gimbel,Director
Colorado Water Conservation Board
1313 Sherman Street,Room 721
Denver,CO 80203
RE: Upper Colorado River Basin Fund MOA
Dear Jennifer;
After a review of the Memorandum of Agreement Concerning the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund,and
after participating in phone conferences with CWCB staff and other interested parties,we would like to
submit projects of interest in southwestern Colorado for your consideration for use of the designated
funds. We recognize that FY12 will be the first year that the funds could be available for use,and the
process for allocating those funds to the Upper Basin States,and within each State,is still being
developed,but there are a number possibilities for use of those funds in this region that should be
considered in this funding cycle,or in subsequent years. Although we are hopeful for a broad
interpretation of the criteria described in the MOA,we believe that many of the projects listed below
should meet the criteria even under strict interpretation of the document. We are fortunate to have a
number of participating projects included in the Colorado River Storage Project in this part of the State
including the following existing projects;Pine River Project,Florida Project,Animas-La Plata Project,
and Dolores Project. The Colorado River Basin Project Act in 1968 also included the San Miguel Project
which has not been constructed. The Southwestern Water Conservation District still holds the water
rights for the Animas-La Plata Project,that includes all the original uses,including irrigation,that were
anticipated prior to the project being downscaled and limited in scope in the 2000 Settlement Act. A
portion of the State matching funds for the irrigation component of ALP were designated for a project in
the La Plata River Basin, and significant progress has been made towards construction of the Long
Hollow Reservoir to provide additional irrigation supplies,and firm up delivery obligations to New
Mexico under the La Plata River Compact. The SWCD believes that although Long Hollow is not
specifically recognized as a CRSP participating project,the link to the Animas-La Plata Project through
complex negotiations is worthy of consideration for the use of these funds. These requests have been
placed into three categories,but have not been prioritized within those categories since prioritization may
be dependent on interpretation of MOA criteria. The projects are listed by location from East to West.
(The Mancos Project was approved prior to the enactment of the Colorado River Storage Project Act,
under the Water Conservation and Utilization Program Act of 1939. A request is not being submitted for
use of FY12 funds pursuant to the MOA, but the Mancos District would like to be considered in future
funding cycles.)