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<br />Gunnison River Basin Issues <br /> <br />CRWCD Responds to Congressional Letter Regarding Blue Mesa: On August 2nd the Colorado River <br />Water Conservation District sent a letter to Interior Secretary Norton responding to a July 18th letter sent by <br />U.S. Reps. Hefley, Schaffer and Tancredo regarding water dem~d forecasting issues and the use of 240,000 <br />acre feet of "marketable water" from Blue Mesa Reservoir. <br /> <br />The CRWCP letter took exception with the statement that there are 240,000 acre feet of water available in <br />Blue Mesa for marketing in any area because the water in Blue.Mesa Reservoir has already been committed <br />to a variety of uses including its service as a component of a reasonable and prudent alternative to jeopardy <br />under Section & of the ESA and for water for the Redlands Fish Ladder. <br /> <br />The CRWCD district also stated that trying to transfer water from the West Slope to the Front Range would <br />be "tremendously expensive and have huge impacts." As a result, the River District asked that Secretary <br />Norton not intervene in any decision-making processes. <br /> <br />Copies of the letters are attached. <br /> <br />Reclamation Clarifies Purpose of Water Demand Projections: On August 9th Reclamation, responding to <br />a letter from Arapahoe County, clarified that the Gunnison Basin water demand projection it is undertaking. <br />is to be used in a Programmatic Biological Opinion that identifies the measures that will be required to <br />recover endangered fish in the Basin. <br /> <br />A complete update 0 n the Gunnison Basin PBO and the water demand projection was contained in the July <br />2001 Director's report. <br /> <br />A copy of Reclamation's letter is attached. . <br /> <br />Platte River Basin Issues <br /> <br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />Cherry Creek PMP Study: Ed Tomlinson of Applied Weather Associates, our contractor on the Cherry <br />Creek PMP Study, presented a paper about the Study Team',s methodologies and techniques at the annual <br />Dam Safety Conference in Snowbird, Utah on Sept 12, 200t. <br /> <br />The Cherry Creek Study Team has received national attentibn on this project and the National Weather <br />Service has requested permission to attend future meetings as a technical panel review member. <br /> <br />The next meeting of the Cherry Creek PMP Study Group is October 19th. This meeting will focus on the <br />review of the MMS model that Dan Dansereau of Geo Clim has set up for the study. <br /> <br />Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Study: A web site was,created for the study and is housed in the flood <br />section of the CWCB web site. Consultants, CWCB and the USACE are in the process of accumulating <br />maps interim reports and meeting minutes to post on this web page.as a vehicle for interested parties to <br />monitor the study and stay informed. <br /> <br />Special Rule Announced for Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse: On August 30th, the USFWS proposed to <br />amend a recently released special rule in .order to allow nqxiousweed control and ditch maintenance <br />activities in areas inhabited by the Preble's meadow jump~ng mouse. If finalized, the amendments would <br />became part of a special4(d) rule issued under the Endangered Species Act earlier this year. <br /> <br />Currently the State of Colorado, the USFWS, and various local governmental entities in Colorado and <br />Wyoming are working together to develop plans to conserve the Preble's and its habitat. This collaborative <br />approach is expected to result in the development ofhab~tat conservation plans which will provide an . <br />important component to the effective and long-term con~ervation and recovery program for the Preble's. <br /> <br />The proposed rule can be reviewed .online at www.access.gpo.gov/su docs/fedreglaOl0830c.html. <br />Comments on the proposed special rule amendment should postmarked before September 28th. <br /> <br />12 <br /> <br />I <br />