BOARD00607

• Board Meeting Date: 11/22/1999
• Description: Directors' Reports
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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the CWCB as well as other interested parties will continue to explore methods of conducting the
necessary analysis to assure that if implemented this change would not enlarge depletions below the
project area.

Agricultural Water Supply Discussion: Interests in the Arkansas Basin have expressed
concerns with the potential for additional large-scale transfers of irrigation water rights to municipal uses,
particularly out-of-basin needs. The issue was brought to the Board's attention by Don Ament's
September 24, 1999 memo, presented to the Board at the September 1999 meeting in Salida. The concern
arises from the recent sale of the final portion ofthe Rocky Ford Canal to the City of Aurora, and efforts
by some local promoters to market a similar transaction involving shares of the Highline Canal which also
services lands in Otero County. Board staff has been working with the Colorado Department of
Agriculture and Valley interests to better understand the problem and determine ifthere are roles the
Board might playas solutions are sought. We have relied heavily on the Board's 1994 report on the Ft.
Lyon Canal which analyzed similar transfer issues and alternatives. There will be opportunities for
additional discussion of this complex issue during Board members Ament and Miskel's reports, and at
agenda items lOa. and 18b.

Colorado River Basin Issues

Hearing Held on Long-term Funding and Salinity Control Legislation: On October 21, the
House Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources held a hearings on two important bills.
The first bill, H.R.2619, will amend the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act to authorize additional
measures to carry out the control of salinity upstream oflrnperial Dam in a cost-effective manner.

The second bill, H.R.2348, will authorize the Bureau ofRec1amation to provide cost sharing for
the endangered fish recovery implementation programs for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins
(see Agenda Item #5( c)). The Governor and Greg Walcher both wrote letters of support that were
presented to the Subcommittee. Those testifying in support of the legislation were: David Hayes, Acting
Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior; Kathleen Clarke, Executive Director, Utah Department
of Natural Resources; Leslie James, Executive Director, Colorado River Energy Distributor's Association;
Dan Luecke, Regional Director, Environmental Defense Fund; Tom Pitts, Water Users Representative,
San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program, Water Consult of Loveland, Colorado;
Honorable Eluid Martinez, Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Rec1amation, U.S. Department of the Interior;
and, Jack Barnett, Executive Director, Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum.

No action is expected on either bill until at least February 2000. For more information, go to
htto:llwww.house. gov/resources/l 06congfwater/990ct211agenda991 021.htm on the Internet.

Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Meeting: The Colorado River Advisory Council met on
October 26-27 in San Francisco, California to receive reports from the Federal Agencies and developed its
report and funding recommendations for the coming federal fiscal year. The federal investment in the
program was approximately 17 million dollars in FYl999 and the non-federal cost share was about 8
million for a total program of about 25 million dollars. To date salinity controls are removing an
estimated 646,000 tons annually with an identified potential to remove another 550,000 tons. The
advisory council expressed concern about the accuracy of some of the dollar values provided by NRCS
and with the funding shortfalls occurring with the program, in particular with NRCS EQIP. These
funding shortfalls were creating problems in the Price-San Rafeal area and the Big Sandy area. Suggested

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