BOARD01670

• Board Meeting Date: 7/28/2003
• Description: CDP Section - Technical Assistance to Covered Entities
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Recommendations
Based on interviews with selected members of the Colorado water conservation community
(including in part the Drought & Water Supply Assessment project currently being completed by the
CWCB), it was found that covered entities would like to see the role of the State expand as it relates to
providing technical assistance to covered entities. Areas where technical assistance may be of the
greatest aid to the water community include:

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Making data available to covered entities on such items as who has approved water
conservation plans, what is included in the approved plans, what are standard definitions and
actions being proposed by covered entities, what are the standard components of "good"
water conservation plans;
Providing technical assistance to entities revising, updating or creating water conservation
plans;
Conducting workshops to educate covered entities and facilitate discussions between covered
entities and the CWCB; and
Providing information to the covered entities and the public regarding what "good" water
conservation entails.

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In addition, these same entities appear to have an interest in having the state change some of its water
policy, to more explicitly define its role with water conservation planning. Based on the discussions,
which are supported by the review of what other western states are doing to promote/require local
water conservation, improvements could be made in the following policy areas to expand the
State's role in water conservation planning:

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Better definition of plan approval criteria;
Improvement of covered entity water conservation accountability (to help determine if
implementation of the plan is achieving its stated goals);
Provide mechanism for standardizing content, technologies, and defmitions for complying
communities;
Provide technical assistance to the smaller covered entities that do not have the means to
adequately help themselves; and
Development of funding support (i.e., loans and/or grants) for implementation of water
conservation plans.

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Specific areas where the CWCB may choose to refine current water policy may include developing:

. New size thresholds for defining covered entities
. Variable application of planning requirements according to entity size, water supply situation,
or other characteristics
. Measures and programs that need to be considered during plan development, and any to be
required for implementation
. Planning steps and plan content required for CWCB approval.

Insomuch as the strategy will need to include components that provide technical assistance to
covered entities, and most likely, policy improvements that would have direct implications
regarding the nature and content of the technical assistance provided by the CWCB to covered
entities, the strategy implementation efforts are recommended to be completed in phases.

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