BOARD01398

• Board Meeting Date: 7/24/2000
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

The C-BT Project provides supplemental water to 30 cities and towns and was built from
1938 to 1957. This Project was intended to provide 310,000 acre-feet of water annually to
northeastern Colorado for agricultural, municipal and industrial uses, The water is used to help
irrigate 615,000 acres of northeastern Colorado farmland. Twelve reservoirs, 35 miles of
tunnels, 95 miles of canals and 700 miles of transmission lines comprise the complex collection,
distribution and power system. The CBT system spans 150 miles east to west and 65 from north
to south. The project stores water from the Colorado River headwaters in a series of reservoirs on
Colorado's West Slope. Water is transported through the mountains to the District's seven-county
service area on the East Slope.

The bill directs the Secretary of Interior to convey non-power producing components
ofthe project to the District. The bill follows a 1999 Memorandum of Understanding between
the District and Reclamation. The MOU expressly states that "Reclamation desires to transfer
title to, and the District desires to accept transfer of, title now vested in the united States to
certain facilities of the Project including: the North Poudre Supply Canal and Diversion Works,
also known as the Munroe Gravity Canal; the Charles Hansen (Supply) Canal and Windsor
Extension; and the Dixon Feeder Canal." The MOU also defined the activities necessary to
accomplish the desired title transfer, outlined the areas ofresponsibility of Reclamation and the
District, as well as, areas of mutual responsibilities.

Rio Grande River Basin

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Upper Rio Grande Scoping Meetings: On June 5 Reclamation announced scoping
meetings regarding a draft envirorunental impact statement (ElS) for Upper Rio Grande Basin
water project operations, The ElS will be integral to an Upper Rio Grande Basin Water .
Operations Review. It is anticipated that a plan for water operations at existing Reclamation and
Corps facilities will be developed as a result of the ElS process. A public scoping meeting was
held on June 28 in Alamosa at the Elks Lodge. Written comments should be submitted by Nov.
20, 2000.

Reclamation Takes Action To Ensure Continued ESA Compliance: On July 6
Reclamation announced it has undertaken several actions to ensure continued compliance with
the Endangered Species Act (ESA) along the Rio Grande in the face of an increasingly severe
drought.

On July 3 the federal government advised the Federal District Court in the Rio Grande
Silvery Minnow v. Martinez case that the potential exists that portions of the river in stretches
between Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Elephant Butte Reservoir might go dry as soon as July
22,2000. Notification was required pursuant to the Court's June 27, 2000, stipulation and order.
Under that order, Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are to give a minimum of
two weeks notice of such possibility in order to allow the Court time to address the plaintiff
envirorunental groups' request for an emergency injunction to keep the river "wet." Additional
information will be provided to the Court by Friday, July 7, 2000, updating thaI circumstance.
The Court has tentatively set aside July 24, 2000, to hear the plaintiffs' requests,

Reclamation also delivered a letter to the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District
(District) stating that the District that it, acting as the agent for Reclamation, is to operate in
compliance with the ESA. The letter states, "Under current river and climatic conditions,

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