BOARD00980

• Board Meeting Date: 1/12/1998
• Description: 1998 Legislative Issues - Water Resources Act of 1998
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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DRAFT

PROPOSED WATER RESOURCES ACT OF 1998
ALTERNATIVE APPROACH
DECEMBER 30, 1997

Section t

The Legislature would direct that the state, through the eWeB and the SEO, would
facilitate water project development by assisting in actions that would include, but not be limited
to: (I) bringing together intercsted parties within a basin for pUlJloses of project planning; (2) the
identification of project alternatives that meet multiple party and multi-purpose needs; and (3)
removing impediments 10 project development. such as permitting, political, and environmcntal
obstades. In meeting these objectives. the state may also need to take a lead role in identifying
the future "nonconsumptive use" needs within the state. The Legislature will need 10 provide
state funds for project assessments, environmental analysis, process facilitation, or mitigation.
Basically, a five-step process would be followed:

I. The state. through the CWCB, would initially convene local stakeholder-driven
processes designed to first identifY present and future consumptive use and non-
consumptive use water needs in each identified basin and sub-basin, and then
identify and analyze alternative solutions for meeting each area's identified needs.
The basins in question would be the Arkansas, Rio Grande, South Platte, and
North Platte River basins, as well as the four principal sub-basins of the Colorado
R.iver, i.e. the mainstem Colorado, Gunnison, San Juan and Green (Yampa and
White).

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The CWCB and State Engineer would review the work of the basin groups,
including the identified alternatives, for purposes of addrcssing key issues uf
statewide interest. Specifically, do the alternatives identified in the stakeholder-
driven process address: