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<br />SWAT 4: The USBR, UVWUA, CRWCD and UGRWCD held their annual meeting to discuss Taylor. <br />Park reservoir operations on Monday, May 9th, in Montrose. Immediately following was a larger meeting . <br />of the major water users, conservancy and conservation districts, state and federal agencies involved in <br />the Gunnison Basin. Highlights include: <br />L Most reservoirs in the basin, including Taylor Park, Blue Mesa, Ridgway and Paonia, are <br />expected to fill. . <br />2. Ongoing UGRWCD efforts to procure additional storage water in the Upper Gunnison basin for <br />agricultural, augmentation, and possibly environmental use. <br />3. UGRWCD Draft Water Management Plan to be adopted at next board meeting_ <br />4. UGRWCD working with NPS on issues surrounding its desire to seek Outstanding Waters <br />designation for the Aspinall Unit and some of the tributaries that flow into Blue Mesa reservoir. <br />Due to these issues, the NPS will NOT seek the Oustanding Waters designation during the <br />triennial review for the Gunnison basin this fall. <br />5. Redlands Canal back online, construction of fish screen, and new power contract with Xcel <br />Energy. <br />6. UVWUA continued piping efforts as part of the Salinity and Selenium control program. <br />7. Stream improvements in the channel below Ridgway using GOCO and DOW Fishing is Fun <br />grants. <br />8. CRWCD involvement with issues of current and possible future water use on the North Fork of <br />the Gunnison. <br />9. CWCB position on protection of Aspinall project yield for future Colorado use. <br />10. Secretary Norton's decision regarding Lake Powell operations. <br /> <br />Ridgway Opens Whitewater Park: The Town of Ridgway's Uncompahgre Restoration Project <br />recently completed the whitewater portion of the town's river improvement program. The area . <br />will also serve as a recreational point for fishing and swimming. The proj ect is paid for with . <br />funds from Great Outdoors Colorado, Trout Unlimited, the Town of Ridgway and the National <br />Park Service and is open to the public. At this time, no application for an RICD has been filed. <br /> <br />Platte River Basin <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />Reclamation Publishes Operations Report and Plans: The CWCB has received a copy of the <br />Colorado Big Thompson Project and Western Division Systems Power Operations Water Year <br />2004 Summary of Actual Operations and Water Year 2005 Annual Operating Plans. The <br />document is available on the Bureau's Great Plains Regional Office website at <br />www.usbr.gov/gp/. <br /> <br />CBT Quota Declared: The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy Board of Directors <br />declared a 70 percent CBT Project quota on April 8. CBT inflows are expected to again be <br />below normal this spring. Upper Colorado River inflows are anticipated to be 15 percent below <br />normal. Supplies within the District boundaries, including South Platte River tributaries, may <br />only produce 87 percent of their average. The quota is hoped to allow more water to remain in <br />local reservoirs and help fanners and municipal suppliers facing a sixth year of drought, and is <br />set to help water providers, ditch and irrigation companies and fanners plan and meet their water <br />supply needs. <br /> <br />The Board considers snowpack, runoff and estimated direct diversions, and then works to <br />balance the region's needs with available CBT project and local storage reserves. The 70 percent <br />quota will prove 217,000 AF of Colorado River water for agricultural, municipal and industrial <br />users in the district. <br /> <br />26 <br />