BOARD01008

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

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acre.ft cfwa~er L~a: is corr.mined to irrigation. Recall the fore- V"ith water traces and:he short-term leases that .....c acquired, .
casted 550,000 acre-to tha:.l bave i:icntifiec before that w01.:!d we were able:.o gel our reservoirs up to 62 jlecent of capae-
be nedec to accom.-noda:e ft.:.:.un: municipal waler ..eees. If ity this year; :hat will be do....n to around 40 percent i:-. April
all that water carne from:be state's agricult'.:re seclor, then its ofoext year. Whe:: we talk about stresses on ti:c wa'::er suFply
relative use of water would cha.'ge :rom abol.:t 8S ilerter,: to 81 system, I Ll-tink this iJ representative of what you a:e going to
percent_ In other words, we will still prima.:ily be aJ", agricul- see in the SOl..:th Pla:.:e in the future u."1..!ess additional water
rural water user withL."1 t.":te state. sources are developed.

It was inte~esting when I was listening to the conversation this Aurora purchased the City ofThomton's water rights in the
morning from the Arkansas Valley. v,.'e just completed a:: S01,;th Plane, water off eleven ranches; we gave them $51 mil.
IGA with the Southeastern District, a."ld one of the provisos is lion and also gave them the retu."1i 110ws and other traded water
that Au:"O~a would no ]or:ger sources, which they ....ill now
p\:rsue c1ai:r.s for agricul- B use for their peoples' water
tural water use tha.t would be supply. So, r think what
permaner.tly transferred out we have been doing over
of the basin for a forty year the last severa] years, t.":tese
period. trades, we will see more of
in the fut\ze, and we'll ha\.e
Now, you would expect that comprehensive dema..."1d
everyone would say, "Hoo- management of water..
ray, that's great.. You are
out of our hair". But one The Denver Basin aquifers
group concerned about t.ljat - Everybody thought t.ljere
agreemer.t is the fa~mers who were hunereds of millions
won't be able to sell their of acre.ft.. of groundwater
'''''ater to Aurora. They are a\.aj]able to us. I was set
very disappointed that they verely disappobted to spend .
will not be able to participate $5 million of our water rev-
in the "v.'ater rush" that we enues for about 85 gal]ons of
have to find water for Aurora.. Figure 3. Homeslake Reso:~voir_ water per minute in each of
I think tb.! tbs is pa:1. of the policy char:ge ten wells' F~oductio:1 capability. There
that we are going to have to go through as is no city of 300,000 people with that
we realize that a 101 of past practices will change. That is now lype off.nar:cial resource. We need to go back and redo some
the case in terms of the water reality and water planning on the of the Denver Basin regulatior's that are not based on the t.ljeory
South Platte_ of one- percent withdrawal per }'ear. Rat.1ler, those regulations
should focus on how to get water out of that aquifer at econom.
As we look at the current drought conddons, we see that the ic and sustainable rates.
centroid has jl.:s: mond over to Utah and up into Altx:rta. The
fecera] forecasters confirmed again just last week the severity Trans-basin Diversions.. Fifty percer:t of our waler comes
of the ongoing drought conditions. v.'hat's happened is the from trans-basin diversions. I get ".er)' upset when I see lrgisla-
drought mcved ove-r about 500 miles to the west- But the State tors cor:sidering bills relative to trans-basin diversions, because
is still in drougt:t conditions.. We a:-e going to have to deal that means I'm go:ng ~o lock al water from agricultural lands
with Crought and we are going to have to deal with the water along the Front Raage. Our future municipal water will either
demands associated with ~pulation g~oWt.'l. come from other river basins or from water uses in the SO'..lth
Platte River bas:n. Ifwe make tra.'l.S-basin diversions so oner.
Aurora's water Sl.:pply system _ We have water projects for ous, the only avenue left is transfer of agricultural water in our
:r.unicipal water tlor.g the Froct Ra."tge. This is the Ho:nestake back:yards, and that will come from either permaner;t trar\Sfers
Reservoir on t....e upper east fork of the Eagle It is a facility we C~ frem leases.
co-ow:! v.ith Colorado Spr.ngs utilities.. We also have water in
Spinr.ey :-'fo-..::.tain Reservoir _ one of :v.elve reservoirs where Eighty percent of O\:f water cernes from snov.melt in a six.
Aurora stores its v.ater. While 'we designed o;.:r :nunicipal week period from :-'-lay :...':roug.l;. July 31. You will :he:-e!'ore see
.....a:er s::,,;::l)' ~'s~e::ns to take us thr~IUg.': t....;ee :0 :our years of Aurora lookir:g to de\.clop :dCitional storage. 1:"1at is what we
drought, drought con::Etions brough: 01..:f water reservcs co'.vn t;:l nee':. more :-cservoirS.. It's notj'.lst to keep water :rom Cali.
26 pt:"ce.....t cf capa.:::y last yea:_ We we:-e almost do\\n to -.be f,J!:lia It IS t.~c enly way we a:e goir:g to capture peak 110ws
Hfelir:e :ar celhe~ng a reliable $"Jpply o:".....ate: just to the Ci::: or wet~year 110w$ for1,;se ir: urt-an :lteas and provide droug.h~ .
of Aurora protection without mas!ive;y oversizing di:"ect r..ow er pur.:p-
bac;.: sys:e:r,s.

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