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<br />$6M in civil penalties and ordered the City to get National Pollution Discharge Elimination System <br />(NPDES) permits for man-made water conveyances supplying drinking water. For over 50 years, New <br />York City has diverted water behind Schoharie Dam in New York's Catskill Mountains through the <br />Shandaken Tunnel to Esopus Creek, which empties into Ashokan Reservoir. The water transfer <br />supplies about 40 percent of New York's drinking water needs. <br /> <br />In 2000, recreation groups, including Trout Unlimited, filed suit alleging the transfer of water without <br />an NPDES permit violated the Clean Water Act as the tunnel discharged pollutants in the form of <br />suspended solids, turbidity and heat, thus injuring the trout fishery in Esopus Creek. The district court <br />agreed. New York City appea!ed~ <br /> <br />As water transfers are essential to the survival of numerous western communities, several western <br />states are concerned about the possible precedent this case could create. Attorneys General for the six <br />states submitted an amicus briefin support of New York City. The Arizona Department of Water <br />Resources and the Western Urban Water Coalition have filed motions for leave to join the brief, which <br />states: ''Mandating the extension of the NPDES program to engineered transfers of water for beneficial <br />use is a radical reinterpretation of a statute enacted for the opposite purpose, that is, to control the <br />disposal of wastewater.... Extending the NPDES permitting program to engineered transfers would be <br />legally unjustifiable and would contravene the clear instruction of Congress not to supersede, abrogate, <br />or impair state water allocation authority. Permit requirements would largely duplicate existing state <br />programs and impair individual state water allocations. Extending the NPDES program is unnecessary <br />because states have more than adeqnate authority to regulate any water quality problems posed by <br />engineered transfers." The brief argues that extending the NPDES program to engineered transfers <br />could interfere with states' water allocation laws, the exercise of individual water rights, and <br />compliance with interstate water compacts. <br /> <br />The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies, <br />the South Florida Water Management District, the National Association of Flood and Stormwater <br />Management Agencies and the Florida Association of Special Districts have also filed similar briefs. <br /> <br />Statewide <br /> <br />Non-reimbursable Status Report: We annually prepare and publish, as an attachment to the <br />Director's Report, a summary of the non-reimbursable investment projects monitored by the Colorado <br />Water Conservation Board staff during the Fiscal Year. This report allows us to demonstrate that we <br />are closely monitoring and implementing the non-loan investments paid for with Construction Fund <br />and Severance Tax Operational Fund revenues. <br /> <br />Drought Update: The drought continues to be of concern throughout most of the state. The Water <br />Availability Task Force met on June 15. At that time, the state's snowpack had almost completely <br />melted out for the year and reservoir storage was averaging 85 percent statewide with the Gunnison, <br />Yampa, and Dolores basins running near normal. The Rio Grande, Arkansas had reservoir levels <br />below 50 percent of average. June streamflow forecasts were predicted to be below 50 percent of <br />average in most parts of the state with the exception of portions of the Rio Grande basin (90-100 <br />percent of average) and San Juan/Dolores basins (70-90 percent of average). Long-term weather <br />forecasts were mixed as to how much precipitation and heat the summer months would bring, <br />however, most of the experts felt the summer monsoon season would begin a week to two weeks ahead <br />of schedule. <br /> <br />The month of June showed above average precipitation and below average temperatures for much of <br />Colorado, especially for the Front Range and Central eastern plains areas. The moisture in the latter <br />part of June was especially beneficial in reducing wildfire danger and improving soil moisture levels. <br /> <br />6 <br />