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<br />. <br />> <br /> <br />- 2- <br /> <br />i <br /> <br />Discussion <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Proposed Board Resolution <br /> <br />Colorado's Water Resource Requirements and Benefits of Stream and Watershed <br />Restoration Programs <br />The first portion of the resolution refers to the benefits of stream and watershed restoration programs <br />and outlines Colorado's water resource requirements. Those water resource requirements are driven <br />by the large number of stream miles, the anticipation of significant future population growth, the <br />conveyance limitations of unstable stream reaches, and the dependence of the tourism and recreation <br />industries on the quality of Colorado's streams. The resolution refers to the CWCB's history of <br />directing and supporting watershed restoration efforts. <br /> <br />The Need for Federal Funding <br />The next portion of the resolution discusses the shortfall in state funding for meeting watershed <br />restoration needs and the need for Federal funding to support state programs. The resolution then <br />discusses the variety of water resource issues and uses that restoration efforts in Colorado must meet. <br /> <br />Relationship of Restoration Efforts to SWSI <br />The resolution next discusses the purpose of the SWSI effort, "to explore ... water supplies and <br />existing and projected demands ..." The resolution goes on to discuss the implementation <br />recommendation included in the SWSI report for the staff to identify areas where stream restoration <br />projects should be combined with SWSI.identified projects. The resolution identifies the CWCB as <br />the appropriate state agency to administer federal and state stream and watershed restoration <br />initiatives in Colorado. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Direction to CWCB Staff <br />The resolution closes by providing direction to staff. That direction begins with the formal <br />recognition by the CWCB of the needs identified in the SWSI report to combine watershed <br />restoration with SWSI projects and formal recognition of the need for federal funding support of <br />Colorado's programs. Then the resolution directs staff to assist and cooperate in creating state <br />supported federally funded initiatives to enhance state programs. Finally the resolution directs staff to <br />communicate with the other RockY Mountain Headwaters states of Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. <br /> <br />Proposed Federal Funding <br />The proposed "RockY Mountain Headwaters Partnership" could be patterned after federal regional initiatives in other <br />geographic regions of the country (Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, Pacific Northwest). Those <br />regional initiatives are currently line items in the EP A budget. There is sizeable federal funding associated with these <br />regional initiatives. For example the current proposed funding for the Chesapeake Bay regional initiative and the Great <br />Lakes regional initiative is on the order of $20 million for each initiative. <br /> <br />The RockY Mountain initiative would not necessarily have to be funded by the EP A budget, and it would not <br />necessarily be funded only by a single agency. Other federal agencies that could be considered for such a program <br />include the Bureau of Reclamation, agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or the U.S. Army Corps of <br />Engineers. The federal funds would be provided to the CWCB and then distributed throughout Colorado via existing <br />CWCB restoration programs. <br /> <br />Proposed Board Action <br /> <br />Staff proposes that the Board review the enclosed resolution and formally adopt the resolution. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Flood Protection. Water Project Planning and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection <br />Water Supply Protection. Conservation Planning <br />