<br />.
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />229
<br />
<br />Memorandum to Rod Kuharich
<br />December 21 , 2000
<br />
<br />Page 2
<br />
<br />Culebra Creek near Chama, CO
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />La Jara Creek at Gallegos Ranch near Capulin, CO
<br />South Platte River at Jufesburg, CO
<br />South Platte River at Henderson, CO
<br />
<br />Arkansas River near Nepesta, CO
<br />Arkansas River at Salida, CO
<br />
<br />Horse Creek at Highway 194 near Las Animas, CO
<br />Discussion
<br />
<br />DWR operates 310 data collection platforms (DCPs) on rivers, streams, reservoirs, ditches and canals to collect
<br />and transmit basic stream flow data for water administration, including interstate compacts, and flood flow aierts.
<br />Collectively, these platforms and the computer equipment in Denver are the Satellite-linked Monitoring System
<br />(SMS), The SMS provides basic water flow data to many public and private entities, such as the Cities of
<br />Colorado Springs and Aurora, the Denver Water Board, the Arkansas River Compad Commission, Emergency
<br />Coordinators for most Colorado counties, water rights users, fishermen, rafters and the staffs of the Division of
<br />Water Resources and Colorado Water Conservation Board, Other projects, such as Decision Support Systems
<br />for the ColoradO River and Rio Grande, Dam Safety monitoring programs and the results of interstate compact
<br />disputes (Arkarlsas River litigation) rely heavily upon the basic data collected and transmitted by the SMS,
<br />
<br />The Satellite-linked Monitoring System (SMS) has been operating since 1985, starting with 82 linked gaging stations,
<br />then 150, and, as the need for the data increased, the SMS has expanded to 310 sites, Over the last 15 years, in
<br />excess of five million dollars has been spent to develOp the infrastructure of the SMS. Tho USGS and other entitles
<br />operate an additional 300+ sites in Colorado, All of these sites are monitored by the SMS and the data is included In
<br />databases of roof-time stream flow, The real-time stream flow data collected by this system is vital to the operations of
<br />several water resource entities, These Include: Denver Water Board, City of Aurora, City of Colorado Springs,
<br />Arkansas River Compacl Commission, Emergency Coordinators for many Colorado Counties, US Bureau of
<br />ReClamation, Many programs of the DWR, such as the Dam Safety Program, Colorado River Decision Support
<br />System and the Rio Grande Decision Support System, and various river operations spreadsheets used by the seven
<br />Division Engineers for water administration were built to rely upon the real-time data acquired through the SMS, ,Water
<br />resources accounting programs utilizing the SMS include the Dolores Project, the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and
<br />the Fryingpan-Arkansas River Project. Also CWCS programs, such as Stream and Lake Protection, Flood Protection
<br />and Water SupplY Protection utilize the real-time data.
<br />
<br />Reolacement of Satellite Telemetrv Eauioment
<br />
<br />DWR requests $248,000 for replacement of 31 out-dated DCPs and associated satellite telemetry equipment
<br />and upgrading satellite transmission components, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
<br />(NOAA) operates the satellite via which we relay the water flow data to the centrai computer in Denver. The use
<br />of this satellite and all the ancillary hardware and software, including staffing, is valued at $430 million dollars
<br />and is provided to the State of Colorado at no charge, The worldwide use of the satellite has increased to the
<br />point that, in the future, more data will be transmitted more often, NOAA has, therefore, mandated that all DCPs
<br />using the satellite for data transmission must be upgraded to transmit at a faster rate within the next ten years,
<br />Many of the DCPs that DWR operates cannot be upgraded. The useful life of the equipment averages ten
<br />years, Therefore, In order to continue using the present system to collect and transmit beslc stream flow data,
<br />all sets of electronic equipment must be replaced over the next ten years, Since DWR operates 310 total sets of
<br />DCP equipment this equates to an average of thirty-one replacements per year.
<br />
<br />This new standard for faster transmission rates for sending data from the stream gages to the central computer
<br />will greatly improve the 'real-time' nature of the system. Once the new DCPs are in operation, data transmission
<br />will change from once every four hours to every hour, The DWR is investigating the new radios available to
<br />
|