BOARD01807

• Board Meeting Date: 5/24/2004
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Funding under this legislation would provide approximately $100,000,000 over 5 years to western states
at 75% federal/25% local match.
4) Mapping: The USGS in Ft. Collins is preparing a comprehensive database for mapping tamarisk
throughout the country. Work being supported by the CWCB for inventorying the tamarisk infestations
in the Arkansas River and Colorado River watersheds will be used to develop protocols for tamarisk
mapping by USGS.

Ar kansas River Basin

SEWCD Hires Conservation Specialist: The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District (SEWCD)
has hired J ean Van Pelt to be its Conservation Outreach Coordinator. VanPelt is a member of the Colorado
WaterWise Council (CWWC).

Van Pelt has scheduled a number of educational workshops and classes to support the District's water
conservation efforts. More information is available on the SEWeD web site at .hlt.P-lt.~Yl!~Y--[_&~Q_WQ_(~LQ!,..g.

Teacher's Conservation Workshop: The 23rd Annual Teacher's Conservation Workshop sponsored by the
Colorado Association of Conservation Districts (CACD) will be held in Leadville in July. The workshop is
designed to assist K-12 teachers interested in natural resources to include them in their classroom curriculum.
State standards in math, science, history, and social studies will be addressed. More details are available at the
CACD Office by calling [phone].

Kansas Takes Share from John Martin: Kansas has taken about 18,000 acre-feet of Arkansas River water,
reducing storage at John Martin Reservoir by about half. Kansas never called for the water in the reservoir last
year. Kansas' share of water is now depleted. According to Division Engineer Steve Witte, "Unless there's a
storm that allows more storage this summer, they will only be entitled to naturally occurring river flow the rest
of the summer." The pool at John Martin dropped from 38,500 acre-feet on March 27, the day before the release
began, to 16,200 acre-feet this week.

Fort Lyon Trial Date: The trial of the water court case involving change of use for approximately 40 percent of
the Fort Lyon Canal Co. shares has been scheduled for 40 days beginning Oct. 3, 2005. Judge Dennis Maes is
also considering a motion by the Fort Lyon to conduct the trial in Otero or Bent County, to be closer to the Fort
Lyon's headquarters and many of its shareholders.

The Judge is also considering the following motions:

. A motion to dismiss the request by High Plains A&M and related investors to change to municipal use the
water shares they have been purchasing since late 2001, on grounds that it would be a speculative change
because High Plains hasn't identified the ultimate user of the water.

. A motion by the Fort Lyon board, asking the court to uphold the board's decision limiting the amount of
water that may be taken out of the ditch and where it may be removed. This would help protect remaining
shareholders who want to continue to use the ditch for farm irrigation by requiring that the water must pass
through the Fort Lyon head gates before it can be removed from this watershed.

The High Plains applications were filed in two separate cases and now have been consolidated with a third case
in which a group of non selling shareholders also seek a change of use to add municipal use to their irrigation
water.

Water Use Limits: Persistent drought conditions and low water storage levels are forcing several cities in the
Lower Arkansas Valley to adopt restrictions on the use of water. These towns include Fowler, which has only a
limited amount of stored water available and low water levels in all its wells; Swink, Manzanola, Las Animas,
La Junta and Lamar.

Ar kansas Valley Conduit: We helped fund a preliminary feasibility study of this project to construct a raw
water pipeline from Pueblo Reservoir to Lamar to address quantity and quality problems facing Arkansas Valley
water providers.

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