BOARD01778

• Board Meeting Date: 11/20/2000
• Description: Directors' Reports
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Progress Report on CFOPS Phase 2: The Final Report for Phase 1, development of alternatives, was
_delivered to CWCB in September and work is now underway for Phase 2, evaluation of alternatives.

As per the ground rules developed in Phase 1, the altemati ves will be analyzed using StateMod and the C 1
data set. Initial analysis of Alternative la, Expanded Coordinated Reservoir Operations.- Green Mountain
Reservoir Operations has been completed. The data files and results of Alternative la analysis have been provided
to Northern Colorado Water Conservation District ("Northern"), Colorado River Water Conservation District
("River DistriCl"), Denver Water, and CWCB for technical review. The purpose of this technical review is to have
technical staff al these entities determine if the modeling and analysis procedures used are acceptable or if changes
must be made.

Results from this initial modeling study have been described in a technical memo that will be sent to all
members of the CFOPS Executive Committee in preparation for a meeting of the Executive Committee that is
being scheduled for December. The purpose of this Executive Committee meeting is to provide an opportunity for
the Executive Committee to review the results of the Alternative la investigation and provide additional comments
conceming the acceptability of the method of investigation before the consultant proceeds further.

Gunnison River Basin Issues

Gunnison River Flow Recommendations: Staff has submitted two separate comment letters on the
Gunnison River flow recommendations and those comments are now being considered by the Biology
Committee. Staff is concerned about the extended duration of peak flows recommendations on the Gunnison.
Staff also questioned the need for flow recommendations below the Gunnison confluence give the potential for
differing flow conditions on the IS-Mile Reach of the Colorado and the Gunnison that could result in failure to
met at least one set of flow recommendations.

GMUG Planning Process Update: The coordinating committee who is working to develop a public
process to assist in providing appropriate instream flow protection on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and
Gunnison National Forests, recently selected the team of Lisa Carlson and Maro Zagoras to help facilitate their
process and the public process which will follow. The coordinating committee has yet to meet with its
facilitation team.

'.
;

,..,.
{;

_

I'

e

EPA Orders Halt to Gunnison Discharges: On Oct. 10 the EPA announced that wastewater from
Gunnison's public works shops may be polluting Tomichi Creek and the Gunnison River. The agency issued
orders for the City to permanently disable any shop drains or pipes that ultimately discharge to the river.
Responding originally to a citizen's complaint about an oily sheen on ponds downstream from the shops, EP A
alleges that the shops discharged wastewater without a permit on at least two occasions, in 1998 and 1999.

Gunnison Selenium Task Holds Information Workshops: Two workshops will be held on Nov. 15 to
present and discuss information on selenium. A copy of the meeting agenda can be found on the Intemet at
http://www.seleniumtaskforce.org.

Selenium is a trace element that is mobilized when water, used for irrigation or other purposes, passes
through soils derived from the Mancos shale (adobe hills) found in western Colorado. Selenium has been shown
to cause reproductive problems and deformities in fish and waterfowl. Several streams in the lower Gunnison
River Basin are in violation of Colorado's water quality standard for selenium. Both workshops will be held
Wednesday, November 15,2000 at: Bill Heddles Recreation Center, 530 Gunnison River Drive, in Delta. The
sessions will be identical, with the first beginning at 1 p.m., and another at 7 p.m.

The Gunnison River Basin Selenium Task Force and the National Irrigation Water Quality Program
(NIWQP) sponsor the workshops.

1I