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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Water Banking: The State Engineer has begun the process to adopt rules to implement a demonstration <br />water bank in the Arkansas River Basin pursuant to HB 01-1354, Public meetings and discussions will <br />occur before draft rules are presented for consideration. A process similar to that used by the Arkansas <br />River Coordinating Committee when the 1995 well pumping rules were developed will be employed. <br />Board staff will be participating and assisting the State Engineer in this effort, <br /> <br />Arkansas River TMDL: As a result oflitigation brought by environmental groups, Kansas has adopted <br />new water quality standards and Total Daily Maximum Loads (TMDL's) in the Arkansas River below <br />the Stateline, Included in the new TMDL's is a very stringent standard for sulfates (250 mg/I) that <br />drastically exceeds both background and historical levels. Kansas has asserted that most of the sulfate <br />problem is due to flows from Colorado, but has not been specific in how it will ever attain compliance <br />with the standards they have adopted, Board staff recently attended an informational meeting with the <br />Colorado Water Quality Control Division to begin considering implications for water users in Colorado <br />that may be contributing to the sulfate load in the lower Arkansas River. <br /> <br />Fountain Creek GIS Project Status: On June 28 a meeting was held at the offices ofURS <br />Corporation, consultants for the Fountain Creek GIS Project, to review preliminary findings of the <br />project. The project had two major components. One was to create a database of all pertinent GIS <br />information already available from sources other than URS' work. The other component was to acquire, <br />rectify and convert into GIS base mapping aerial photos from 1955 and 1999 and then to extract <br />information about the stream from those photos. The two years were chosen to show changes in this <br />shifting sand-bottom stream over a period of time while ensuring that at least one set of photos showed <br />the stream corridor after the April-May 1999 flood, <br /> <br />Two critical areas were examined in detail during the air photo analysis, One area was in the vicinity of <br />the Hanna-Frost Ranch area south ofthe City of Fountain, in unincorporated El Paso County. The other <br />area was in the northern portion of Pueblo, near the crossing of Colorado Highway 47. Both areas have <br />experienced erosion and damage to infrastructure, In those area the following features were derived <br />from the aerial photos: scour and deposition zones, mature vegetation, surficial geology, meander belts, <br />existing structures, and transportation facilities, <br /> <br />The final report for the project will be used in the development by URS of the Fountain Creek <br />Watershed MaSter Plan. It will be available in brochure fonn and in electronic fonn, It will also be <br />available on the Web site for the Watershed Master Plan. <br /> <br />Colorado River Basin Issues <br /> <br />Colorado River Hearing: On July 9 the U.S, House of Representatives, CO!lllllittee on Resources held <br />Field Oversight Hearings on Management of the Colorado River in Salt Lake City, Utah, Kent <br />Holsinger testified on Colorado's behalf along with representatives from the six other Colorado River <br />Basin States. The Committee's stated purpose was to analyze the role of the Colorado River from the <br />perspective of the seven basin states. In general, it appeared the Committee was seeking to educate <br />itself on major Colorado River issues in anticipation of legislation that will be forthcoming during the <br />next session to help California implement its Colorado River Water Use Plan (4.4 Plan). <br /> <br />Upper Colorado River Compact Commission Meeting: The Upper Colorado River Commission met <br />in Salt Lake City on June 12 and 13, The Legal and Engineering Committee met on June 12 to discuss a <br />variety of issues including the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, the status of <br />Recovery Goals, the status of pending power production bills, litigation with the Defenders of Wildlife <br />and the Secretary of Interior, and activities surrounding the Mexican Delta, On the 13th, a regular <br />commission meeting was held during which operations of the Commission were discussed and reports <br />from federal agencies including, Reclamation, Western, Fish & Wildlife, and the Salinity Control <br />Program were received. - <br /> <br />7 <br />