BOARD00486

• Board Meeting Date: 5/21/2001
• Description: ISF Section - Water Conservancy of Colorado - Staff Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natura! Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX; [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.u.s

STATE OF COLORADO

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MEMORANDUM

8J1J Owens
Governor

Gregr.Wa/cher
ElCC(;Ut!ve Oire<;tor

Rod Kuharlch
cweB Director

Dan McAuliffe
Oeputy Oirecw

TO:

Members, CWCB

FROM:

Dan Merriman
Anne Janicki

DATE:

May 8, 2001

RE:

Agenda Item 10-May21-22, 2001, Board Meeting--
Water Conservancy of Colorado -- Staff Report

Backl!round

Conservation groups and land trusts in Colorado have traditionally focused their efforts on obtaining
property easements to preserve the existing character of the land, with little emphasis on the water
component of Ihe transaction. Interested groups and individllals have been meeting for several months
to devise a strategy to "insure that sufficient water is available to protect Colorado's rich natural heritage
and environmental diversity". The CWCB staff has been involved in these preliminary discussions to
provide input on the State's existing Instream Plow and Water Acqllisition Programs, and to ensure the
group's efforts are consistent with state law.

This disclIssion group hM recommended forming a new tax-exempt, nonprofit organization with the
working name of the Water Conservancy of Colorado (WCC) to facilitate the acquisition of water
rights for conservalion purposes. The discussion grOllp hM developed a "Concepl Paper" (atlached) for
the board of the new organization to consider. This proposed Concept Paper is still in draft form and
will need to be discussed and adopted by the WCC once the initial board is convened and the
organizalion is officially established.

Concept Paper

The draft Concept Paper proposes the following mission stalemenl for the organization:

"The Water Conservancy of Colorado (WCe; is a private, nonprofit conservation organization,
founded in 2001. to acquire, or assist others in acquiring water rights or interests in water
rights, using market-based approaches, from willing sellers, for conservation benefits (hereafter
'to establish conservation rights '). ..

Other key concepts proposed in the draft document include:

Flood Protection. Water Project Planning and Financing" Stream and lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation Planning