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<br />.' <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />July 24, 2006 <br /> <br />Page 2 <br /> <br />4, We initiated our discussions with Kansas water officials on the operation and <br />accounting of releases from John Martin Reservoir on June 27 and 28 in <br />Denver and are scheduled for three days of meeting on August 28 to 30 in <br />Topeka. Technical teams from each state were assigned responsibilities for <br />reports to be provided by mid-August. I am optimistic that we will be able to <br />reach agreements on these long-standing issues this year. <br /> <br />5. The Republican River Compact meeting is set for August 9 and 10 in <br />Phillipsburg, KS and we will hear the results of the accounting for 2005 from <br />the Engineering Committee. In the settlement signed in 2002, we agreed to <br />operate under a five-year average beginning in 2003. The accounting for 2003 <br />to 2004 shows an under-delivery by Colorado of about 24.000 acre-feet due to <br />the extreme dry conditions in the basin. Nebraska is in an even worse situation <br />and we don't expect 2005 to be much better for both states. Both states have <br />implemented CREP programs to reduce well pumping. The Republican River <br />Water Conservation District is considering other options to reduce consumption <br />of water in the basin. <br /> <br />River Basin Issues: <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />1. South Platte River basin: The flows at the Kersey gage east of Greeley were <br />less this year than in 2002 which is quite concerning. This supports my <br />decision in May to not approve the Central Well Augmentation Sub-district <br />substitute water supply plan as the plan was based on about two weeks of no <br />call days and we have had senior calls on this year. We are having to curtail <br />the use of about 2000 large capacity wells as a result of the changing <br />regulatory conditions in the basin. The early July rains did not help as much <br />as hoped and high channel losses prevented the water from reaching the <br />lower end of the basin, Encroachment by vegetation of the channel is the <br />reason and channel capacity has been reduced significantly, The CBT quota <br />is 80% this year and is helping those with surface water get through the <br />irrigation season, <br /> <br />2. Arkansas River basin: The heavy rains in early July have helped some in the <br />basin and allowed some junior storage rights to come into priority, but these <br />rains were of marginal help due to the dry spring. With the release of about <br />17,000 acre-feet of account water from the Kansas account, the content at <br />John Martin Reservoir is 1 % of its 342,645 acre-feet conservation capacity, <br />There will be a fish salvage operation soon. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />3, Rio Grande basin: The basin is experiencing dry conditions and the flows of <br />the Sangre De Cristo streams are at the lowest in history. The Rio Grande <br />and Conejos basin streams are flowing at about 50% of average at the <br />present time, The reservoirs on the Trinchera Creek basin will be down to fish <br />pools this week. The water court has not issued its decision on the rules for <br />new appropriations from the confined aquifer that I submitted last June. Trial <br />ended in early March so a ruling should be out soon. <br />