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<br />"" <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br /> <br />Department of Natural Resources <br /> <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 <br />Denver. Colorado 80203 <br />Phone: (3031 866.3441 <br />FAX: (303) 866-4474 <br />www.cwcb.state.co.us. <br /> <br />STATE OF COLOMDO <br /> <br />Q <br /> <br />245 <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />RiJlOwens <br />GovernQf <br /> <br />GregE.Walcher <br />Executive Director <br /> <br />Rod Kuharich <br />eWeB Director <br /> <br />Dan McAuliffe <br />Deputy Direcror <br /> <br />To: <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board Members <br /> <br />Rick Brown, Interstate Streams Investigations Ue . <br />Mike Serlet, P.E., Chief, Water Supply Planning and \I A ( <br />Finance Section '" V <br /> <br />January 18,2001 <br /> <br />From: <br /> <br />Date: <br /> <br />Subject: <br /> <br />Agenda Item 13 d" January 23-24, 2001 Board Meeting - <br />Water Supply Planning and Finance - Non-Reimbursable Investments- <br />South Platte River Water Management and Storage Sites Investigation <br /> <br />Introduction <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The Board will be asked to approve a staff recommendation to authorize the expenditure of <br />$ SOO,OOO.OO from the Construction Fund for a feasibility-level study to evaluate water <br />management and storage alternatives, and if warranted engineering design services in the lower <br />South Platte Basin in Colorado. The study is intended to provide information that will assist in <br />identifying structures and/or measures that could facilitate Colorado's management of South <br />Platte River flows and participation in the Three-State Platte River Cooperative Agreement (CA). <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />A CA was signed by Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming. and the US Department of Interior (acting <br />through the Fish and Wildlife Service) in July 1997. The overall goal of the CA is to improve the <br />survival of whooping cranes, piping plovers, and the interior least tern by improving flow and <br />habitat conditions al'cng the Central Platte River in Nebraska, The term of the CA has been <br />extended to June 30, 2003. The CA requires the States to implement specific water management <br />activities, and to develop additional plans that if agreed to will become part of a 10 to 13 year <br />Implementation Program. <br /> <br />The CA water goal is to increase flow in the Central Platte by 130,000 to ISO,OOO acre-feet <br />annually. During the Jast year the CA participants completed a Water Action Plan. Colorado has <br />committed to providing a total of 27,000 acre-feet of water as our contribution to the Water <br />Action Plan. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Colorado believes that the best means of providing our water contribution is through groundwater <br />re-regulation. This approach involves moving or re-timing river flows from periods when flows <br />are in excess of compact and species needs to periods when there are flow shortages. Colorado <br />is currently evaluating how we can most efficiently meet our existing and potential water <br />commitments. Staff believes that it would be prudent to consider the option of constructing or <br />modifying a surface storage facility as part of this evaluation. A surface storage facility used in <br /> <br />flood Protection. Water Project Planning and financing. Stream and lake Protection <br />Water Supply Protection. Conservation l'lanning <br />