BOARD00922

• Board Meeting Date: 9/22/2003
• Description: WSP Section - Non Reimbursable Projects Monument-Fountian Creek Transit Loss Study
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Other

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STATE OF COLORADO

. Colorado Water. Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

Bill Owens
Governor

MEMORANDUM

Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director

To:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

Rod Kuharich
.CWCB Director

From:

Randy Seaholm
Steve Miller

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

Date:

September 10,2003

Re:

September 22, 2003, CWCB Finance Committee Meeting
Water Supply Planning and Finance - Non Reimbursable Projects
Monument-Fountain Creek Transit Loss Study

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Introduction
This reque8t is from the El Paso County Water Authority (Authority) for the CWCB to participate and cost-share
in a study by the US Geological Survey (USGS) of transit losses on Monument and Fountain Creeks in the
Arkansas River Basin. No new appropriation is being sought from the Construction Fund, rather this proposal
would utilize the remaining funds (approximately $88,000) already authorized and encumbered to the Authority
pursuant to section 19 of HBOO-14l9. The Finance Committee, and ultimately the Board, is being asked to
approve this additional use of the funds previously made available to the Authority, and to request any necessary
authorization from the General Assembly.

Discussion
In 2000 the Board requested and received authority to contract with the Authority to cooperate in a water master
plan study with up to $200,000 from the Construction Fund: "The Colorado water conservation board is hereby
authorized to participate in a cooperative water supply planning investigation and master plan of the rural El Paso
county area. The purposes of the investigation will be to effectively identify the current and future development of
water resources, systems, and facilities benefiting the residents of El Paso county. The scope of work for the master
plan shall be developed by the El Paso county water authority in consultation with El Paso county and the Colorado
water conservation board." Section 12, HBOO-14l9. The Master Plan study has been completed and presented to the
Board at a significant cost savings, leaving approximately $88,000 of the original appropriation encumbered, but not
needed to complete the master plan.

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During the course of the master plan study participants determined that one effective strategy for meeting the need for
an additional! 0,000 acre-feet of water by the year 2020 was to use existing non-tributary groundwater sources to
extinction. This would likely be accomplished by exchanges along Fountain Creek, and might also involve better use
of some members Fry-Ark transmountain water allocations. To operate the necessary exchanges it is necessary to
determine and access transit losses on deliveries of non-native water moving in Monument and Fountain Creeks so that
existing water rights are left intact, and the SEO can properly shepherd only those waters entitled for reuse to the
appropriate reach of the stream. While there is an existing transit loss model for the portion of Fountain Creek below
Colorado Springs, it is in need of enhancements to account for new users on that reach of the Fountain. In addition, the
model doesn't cover the geographic areas ofEl Paso County on Monument and Fountain Creeks where many of the