BOARD00040

• Board Meeting Date: 11/15/2005
• Description: CF Section - En-bloc and Referred Non-Reimbursable Investment Recommendations
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO

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Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
1313 Shennan Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone] I I
FAX: [phone] REVISED 11-16-05
WWW.cwcb.state.CO.llS ,

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

TO:
FROM:
DATE:
RE:

Colorado Water Conservation Board - Finance Committee
Tom Browning, Chief - Flood Protection Program
August 25, 2005
Non-Reimbursable Investments
Colorado Watershed Restoration and Flood Mitigation Program

Russell George
Executive Director

Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director

Rick Brown
Acting Deputy Director

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Introduction
Watershed restoration and flood mitigation projects in Colorado provide multiple benefits to a variety of interested
parties and to end users of the watersheds and stream courses where these types of projects have been carried out Past
efforts have indicated that successful completion of watershed-based planning projects and engineering design projects
must include a robust public process along with technical support and funding from multiple stakeholders. The CWCB
has been an active partner in this arena for many years and has managed to do so on a limited budget Staff relied
solely on special allocations on an annual basis from Severance Tax and Construction Fund investments for the
Program thus far. For the last two years the Board supported a non-reimbursable investment of $75,000 and the
General Assembly approved it Staff is now requesting a non-reimbursable annual investment of $150,000 to expand
this Program. The current request would allow the CWCB to begin the assessment of watershed restoration needs on a
statewide basis. The program would, under this proposed change, fund approximately half of the cost of basinwide
watershed restoration needs assessments and needs prioritizations for each ofColorado's 8 major river basins. One or
two such plans would be funded each of the next several years until all eight basin plans had been studied,

The purpose of the needs assessment and needs prioritization is to gain a general understanding of the watershed
issues that exist in each of the major river basins. The initial planning studies proposed here would be carried out
such that the scope and scale of those studies would be consistent with the proposed funding. Based on previous
experience and preliminary estimates by staff, the requested funding amount would allow for a high altitude look at
the individual needs and rough implementation costs for stream reaches within each basin. We anticipate that the
planning studies will help guide project implementation and future funding opportunities (from various local, state,
and federal sources) so that appropriate efforts can be focused on high priority areas. This will help to reduce the
current ad-hoc nature of the program. The planning study process should not preclude implementation of projects
in the meantime, especially where projects are truly needed and where local support and full funding are available.

Furthermore, the proposed planning studies, and any project prioritizationlimplementation activities, would assist with
carrying out authorizations contained in eR.S. 39-22-2401 through 2403 related to the Colorado Watershed
Protection Fund. The fund was originally created through Senate Bill 02-087 and led to the General Assembly creating
an Act "Concerning the requirement that Colorado state individual income tax return forms contain a line whereby
individual taxpayers may make a voluntary contribution to the Colorado watershed protection fund, and making an
appropriation in connection therewith".

Staff understands and appreciates the need to move from the planning process into the implementation process for
watershed projects. Staff would like to have the flexibility to implement specific projects, and would suggest that these
projects be implemented on a case-by-case basis as they are identified, as partnerships are formed, and as funding
. packages can be assembled. It may also be prudent for the staff and Board to have the prerogative to implement small
projects without full cost sharing when merited.

Flood Protection. Water Supply Planning and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection
Watee Supply Protection. Conservation and Drought Planning