BOARD00936

• Board Meeting Date: 1/25/2005
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Statewide Average-- 116% Statewide Averagen 58%

While this is good news for Colorado, the majority of the snow year lies still ahead. Forecasts from the
last Drought Task Force meeting seemed to indicate above-normal precipitation levels for March and
April.

Current reservoir levels are 82% of average (Ill % of last year).

Current Reservoir Levels/Basin 0/1/05) 2003 Reservoir Levels 0/1/03)
Gurmison Basin: 94% Gunnison Basin 42%
Colorado: 78% Colorado 29%
South Platte: 92% South Platte 32%
Yampa/White: 100% Yampa White 67%
Arkansas: 62% Arkansas 20%
Upper Rio Grande: 45% Upper Rio Grande 18%
Dolores, Animas, SJ 83% Dolores, Animas, SJ 35%

The Drought Task Force will be meeting on January 18'\ 2005 to assess current snow pack, reservoir
levels, stream flow predictions, and drought impacts.

HB 04-1365 Guidelines Update: The Conservation and Drought Planning Section has completed the
consultant contract to create the statutorily required guidelines for HB 04-1365. The guidelines will
further define the contents of future water conservation plans, grant prioritization, and will make available
a model conservation plan to be used in assistance to those entities working to complete their first
conservation plan.

The kickoff meeting was held on January 12,2005 and covered both the guidelines and the rnodel plan.
Staff intends to have a draft of the guidelines ready for discussion and approval at the March Board
meeting. Some of the CWCB Board Directors may be contacted prior to the Board meeting for additional
comment and direction.

Colorado Water Wise Council: The Conservation and Drought Planning Section has agreed to partner
with the Colorado Water Wise Council to mutually provide technical assistance to Colorado's water
entities concerning water conservation planning. The Section staff will utilize the members of the Water
Wise Council to assist with statewide workshops, public education, and continued marketing ofthe
CWCB's available resources.

CFWE: Attached you will find the CFWE Directors Report. Additional handouts to be provided at our
meeting will include: the 2003-2004 Annual Report, Citizen's Guide to Colorado's Water Heritage, Winter
Headwaters rnagazine.

Citizen's Guide to Colorado's Water Heritage: The Colorado Foundation for Water Education has
published a new Citizen's Guide to Colorado's Water Heritage. This book draws together the expertise of
six prominent historians and scholars from throughout Colorado and the West to explore how water
shaped Colorado's culture, history and identity.

Nationally Publized Study Urges Water Conservation on Farms: A new study published in the Ocober issue of the
JOInnal Bioscience promotes the idea that a growing population coupled with diminishing fresh water supplies
should force major changes in the way the world's farmers water their crops in the coming decades
because agriculture uses about 70 percent of the world's fresh water every year.

"We in the U.S. waste a lot of water in contrast to other people. Agriculture is going to have to give up
water as the population grows. States like California, Colorado, Texas and Nebraska are going to have to

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