BOARD01008

• Board Meeting Date: 1/27/2004
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

methodologies, rules or agency responsibilities. The CWCB and the Southwestern Water
Conservation District sponsored this workshop.

Rio Blanco Restoration and Steam Habitat Enhancement Project Update: At its September
2003 meeting, the Board approved the Lower Blanco Property Owners Association's (LBPOA)
request for an $80,000 grant from the Fish and Wildlife Resources Fund account to allow for the
completion of Phase II ofthe Rio Blanco Project. The Board of directors for the LBPOA has
sent a letter to the Board, expressing Association's appreciation and gratitude for this grant.
Staff is currently coordinating with the DNR accounting section to develop a contract to transfer
the grant award to the LBPOA. The goals of this project are to improve channel stability, fish
habitat, and the riparian and floodplain function of the Rio Blanco, including maintaining
channel capacity during periods of flood.

Navajo Reservoir Operations: The operations meeting concerning Navajo Dam Operations
sponsored by Reclamation will be held in Farmington on Jan. 20 beginning at 1:00 pm.

San Juan Recovery Implementation Program: The Hydrology Committee will meet on Jan.
21 at the BLM office in Farmington. The Committee will discuss Navajo Dam operations, River
Model Runs and issues, and work that Reclamation has done on a temperature model for Navajo
Reservoir and the San Juan River downstream of Navajo.

Animas-La Plata Project Update: New cost estimates for the ALP indicate an increase in costs
of $162.l million, bringing the total cost estimate to $500 million, which costs will continue to
escalate do to inflation until project completion in 2011. Reclamation began the process of
explaining the reasons for this huge increase last August. We now have a report that outlines the
cost increases that we will be discussing with the Board at our January meeting. Staff will be
participating with others receiving ALP water about how to equitably address these increases in
the coming months. With respect to efforts to amend the reserved water right decrees for the Ute
tribes, in early October the Water Court in Division 7 dismissed several attempts by objectors
"Citizens Progressive Alliance" to vacate the current consent decrees, but additional challenges
by the group still remain. We will continue to update you as further information becomes
available.

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Dolores River Dialogue Group Is Formed~ Representatives from a number of federal, state and
local organizations have been asked to participate in a collaborative process known as the
Dolores River Dialogue. This effort is under the joint sponsorship of the Dolores River Water
Conservancy District (DWCD) and the Dolores River Coalition (DRC). The DRC is a coalition
of 24 environmental, conservation and recreation organizations.

This effort is intended to provide a forum for the sponsors, in collaboration with other interests,
to discuss the enhancement of recreation opportunities and concerns regarding fish and wildlife
habitat and flows in the lower Dolores Riyer. The focus of the effort is to determine how the
river might best be managed to serve the needs of the various human and natural communities of
the basin and the region. The parties will act by general consensus.

The Dolores River Dialogue will involve a series of up to lO meetings over a one-year period
beginning in January 2004. Meetings will be held approximately once a month at the DWCD
Offices until the group has reached consensus, where consensus is possible. The group will be
facilitated12y_~ichmcll)restQJl.-J2fFoxt Lewis c:;olh:,~Qf!h~<eoLc:;omrmmi!y Services.. _ ___

The organizations requested to participate include:

. Dolores Water Conservancy District
. Montezuma Valley Irrigation
Company
. Montezuma County

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Dolores County
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Bureau of Reclamation
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe

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