BOARD01717

• Board Meeting Date: 7/23/2002
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin - Animas-La Plata Project - Operations, Maintenance & Replacement Commettee
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO

.

Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Reso\lrces
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 8020.3
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

GregE. Walcher
Executive Director

TO:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

Randy Seaholm, Chief, Water Supply Protection ~

Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director

FROM:

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy' Director

DATE: July 15, 2002

SUBJECT: Agenda Item 14, July 23-24, 2002, Board Meeting-
Water Supply Protection - Colorado River Basin-
Animas-La Plata Project-Operations, Maintenance & Replacement Committee

Introduction

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Staff has been contacted and invited to participate on the "Animas-La Plata Project
Operations, Maintenance & Replacement Review Committee" (POC). Staff asked to be kept
informed of the meetings and provided with minutes and other appropriate documents, but elected
not to take an active role on the POC at this time. However, some issues are developing which are
important to long-term operation of the project. One such issue is the adoption of POC Bylaws,
attached hereto for your review. The process of adopting the proposed Bylaws is forcing Colorado
to make a decision on whether or not to accept long-term involvement in the POCo

Backl!round

Colorado has been a supporter of the Animas-La Plata Project (ALP) since it was initially
authorized for study as part of the Colorado River Storage Project Act in April 1956. Colorado is
party to the Animas-La Plata Project Compact (C.R.S. 37-64-101) approved by Congress in Public
Law 90-537 on September 30,1968. This compact simply provides that New Mexico and Colorado
have equal right and priority to the use of ALP water. Furthermore, completion of ALP is an
integral part of the Federal Reserved Water Rights Settlement Agreement with the Colorado Ute
Tribes.

At the present time Colorado is allocated the use of 10,440 acre-feet of water from the ALP
or 10.99% of the total project water supply of 109,718 acre-feet. The current interim cost allocation
for the ALP identifies Colorado's interest as $37,966,828 of the total allocable project cost of
$521,033,475. In addition to the water supply, other Colorado agencies, such as Colorado State
Parks and the Colorado Division of Wildlife, have a vested interest in how ALP is ultimately
. operated.

Flood Protection. Water Supply Planning and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation and Drought Planning