BOARD01367

• Board Meeting Date: 3/16/2004
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

The group also discussed possible enhancements to the fish pool through the purchase of water
rights from willing sellers. The fish pool in McPhee is currently set at 29,300 acre-feet.

'Water 101' Session\: On Feb. 24-25 a water workshop was held for area irrigators. water
professionals and those interested in learning more about the state's consumption and usc.

Day I of Water 101 featured a keynote address by Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs
titled. "The History of Colorado Water Law and a lot more." Other discussion with '..'atcr
attorneys Janice Sheflel and Barry Spear is scheduled, along with water administration practices
with Deputy State Engineer Dick Wolfe. Kcn Bceglcs, Division 7 engineer, will share how water
laws affect the local area.

Day 2 began with a legislativc discussion from the Bureau of Reclamation and a panel discussion
with Rcp. :V1ark Larson, R.Cortez, and state Sen. Jim Isgar. D-lIesperus. Local water companies,
the Dolores Water Conservancy District, Montezuma Valley Irrigation Co., Mancos Water
Conservancy District, Montezuma \Vater Company and Ihe ~1ancos Rural Water Co., will haw
the opportunity to provide their history and service infonnalion.

Rio Blanco Resloration and Sleam lIabil:U Enhancemeru Projcl'l Update: At its September
2003 meeting, the Board approved the Lower Blanco Property Owners Association's (LBPOA)
request for an S80,OOO grant from the Fish and \Vildlife Resources Fund account to allow for the
completion of Phase II of the Rio Blanco Project. The goals of this project are to improve
channel stability. fish h;'lbitat, and the riparian and 1100dplain functions of the Rio Blanco,
including maintaining channel capacity during periods ofllood. StalTs at the CWCB and the
DNR Accounting Section have drafted a contract to transfer (he grant award to the LBPOA.
Once lhe contract is finaliLcd and authorized, the fund will be disbursed in accordance with
im.oices n.."'Cci\'ed for work done toward the completion of project. Construction is scheduled to
begin in spring.

Put'hlo Indian \\':lter Itights Seu'ement: Aller nearly 40 years of litigation and negotiation. a
settlement plan to meet the water needs of lour pueblos ,md thousands of non-Indian water lIsers
in New 7\1cxico has bCl'n proposed. Bdore Ihe proposal becomes linal. a process that could take
years. it has to be approved by the Pueblos. non-Pueblo '''"ater llsers, Ihe City of Santa Fe. Santa
Fc COllnty, the New Mexico State Engineer. and others. Also. Congress would ha,.e to
appropriate money and additional water resources would have to be found n perhaps by way or
the San Juan-Chama Project and by the acquisilion of water rights. A copy of the settlement
proposal is available at www.westernwaterlaw.com.

Carbon I.ake Dilch Waler RighI Donation Slalu.\ Reporl: In January 2003. the C\\TB
approved a donation agreement with the San Juan Resources Conservation and Development
Counciltrnnsfemng the Carbon Lake Ditch water right 10 the Board to preserve and improve the
nalural environment in Big Hom Creek and :--':onh j\lineral
Creek near Silvcrton. This was the tirst water acquisition
under Senate Bill 02.156. which authorized the Board to
acquire w;.ller to improve the natural em ironment.

This com.eyance was an integral pan of an droM by the
Animas River Stakeholtler Group 10 improve water quality
and aquatic habitat in the upper Animas watershed.
Hydrogeological studies indicatcd a high probability that
water from the Carbon lake Ditch was seeping into the San
Antonio .\line workings. including the Kohlcr Tunncl. and
contributing acid drainage to the 7\lineral Creek watershed.
Through this donation. the Council sought to "eliminate the

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