PUB00017

• Year: 1997
• Title: Colorado Water Development Study
• CWCB Section: Finance
• Author: Buford Rice, Ray Christensen
• Description: Study to assist Colorado Farm Bureau in developing recommendations and strategies for dealing with future water resource issues
• Publications - Doc Type: Brochure

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Seclion 6 - Currentl\' ProfJo.Ied Wuter Project,\

The State is developinR
databases and decision
support systems to
better understand and
manaRe resources on a
watershed basis,

Water Division 6
. Enlargement of Fish Creek Reservoir,
. Enlargement of Elkhead Reservoir near Craig,

Water Division 7
. Animas La Plata Project.
. Animas Water Company - well system utilization,

No surveys were returned from private water development com-
panies, brokers or investors, Therefore some of the more specu-
lative water development ventures which have been considered
over the past few years are not included in the above list.

Clearly there is a wide variety of water development projects and
programs currently under consideration in the State, The current
trend is toward developing multiple smaller options for meeting
future demands rather than a few large options (such as Two Forks
Dam). Further research into specific projects would be required
to assess which have the most potential for furthering the goals
of the Colorado Farm Bureau and its constituents,

Another trend is toward developing databases and decision sup-
port systems (DSS) to better understand and manage resources
on a watershed basis, The three primary databases and DSSs
currently in use or under development are the Colorado River
Decision Support System (CRDSS), the South Platte Water Rights
Management System (SPWRMS), and HydroBase, CRDSS is
in the second year of a four year development phase, Its princi-
pal goal is to provide the databases and river modeling capability
necessary to develop credible information on which to base in-
formed decisions concerning the management of Colorado River
water resources. The SPWRMS is beginning implementation as
a water administration tool that provides real-time data to assist
in the daily management of the South Platte River Basin,
HydroBase is a relational and geographic database designed in
1994 to store and display diversions, streamflows, water rights
and well data collected and maintained by the state, Although
these tools are not listed as water development projects, they are
intended to assist decision-makers in managing and allocating
available water resources in response to changing hydrologic and
development conditions, Development of similar databases and

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... COLoraDo
... Farm Bureau