BOARD01231

• Board Meeting Date: 7/13/1998
• Description: WSP Section - Arkansas River Basin Issues - Arkansas River Needs Assessment Study - Status Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial Building
131 3 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone],3441
FAX: [phone],4474

STATE OF COLORADO

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MEMORANDUM

Roy Romer
Governor

TO:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

Steve Miller ~
Interstate Streams and Hydrologic Investigations Section

Jilmes S. Lochhead
Executive Director, ONR

Daries C. lile. P.E.
Director, eWeB

FROM:

DATE: July I, 1998

SUBJECT: Agenda Item B.d., July 13-14,1998 Board Meeting
Arkansas River Basin Issues -
Arkansas River Needs Assessment Study - Status Report

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INTRODUCTION
This memo provides a brief update on the status of the Future Water and Storage Needs.
Assessment Proiect being conducted in the Arkansas River Basin by an enterprise of the
Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District [SECWCD], The agenda item is informational
only and no Board action is required, comments and questions can be discussed during the Board
meeting or addressed directly to staff at any time.

The CWCB provided a $75,000 grant and technical assistance for this study to help municipal and
agricultural water users in the SECWCD service. area identify future water demands, evaluate the
adequacy of existing supplies, and identify potential cooperative solutions to meet projected needs
for additional storage. Approximately 25 participating water supply entities are helping to fund the
study and mutually developed the Scope ofWorl<: being followed. A steering committee made up
of interested participating entities meets periodic~lly to review study progress and provide input to
the consultant. CWCB staff participates in the ste.ering committee discussions, but does not vote on
resolution of specific issues. Technical analysis and report preparation for the Needs Assessment
is being preformed by the Denver office of GEl Consultants, a national engineering firm, under a
$170,000 contract awarded June 24,1997.

STATUS
A status meeting was held on June 10,1998 at which a process for evaluating/screening alternatives
was finalized and a revised completion schedule and public participation/review process were
discussed. The proj ect continues to lag several months behind schedule, and a draft report is now
expected in late August 1998. It has been the consensus of all participants that adjustments in the
schedule will result in an improved final product, and that reasonable delays will not reduce the
usefulness ofthe study, As of the end of May 1998 GEl had been paid approximately $90,000 for
. work completed through February 1998, a little over 50% of the total contact price.