BOARD01973

• Board Meeting Date: 9/13/2004
• Description: Flood Section - Presentation on the National Perspective for Regional Watershed Restoration Programs
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO

. Colorado Water Conservation Board

) Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

TO:
FROM:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members
Larry Lang, P.E., Chief, Flood Protection Section
Brian Hyde, Flood Protection Section
September 2, 2004
Agenda Item l8b, September 14-15, 2004 Board Meeting--
Presentation on the National Perspective for Regional Watershed
Restoration Programs

Russell George
Executive Director

DATE:
SUBJECT:

Rod Kuharich
eweB Director

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

Background

.

At the July 2004 Board meeting in Delta, the Board was introduced to a the proposed "Rocky Mountain Headwaters
Partnership", a proposal for a regional initiative for federal funding to support watershed restoration work in the Rocky
Mountain headwaters states of Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. These headwater states supply water to over
101 miIlion people in 19 states and two foreign countries. They are part of the fastest-growing region of the country
with the least amount of water resources. The proposal would provide funding for local watershed groups within the
four states to conduct watershed restoration planning studies and implementation activities in their respective local
watersheds.

Discussion

Proposed Federally-Funded "Rocky Mountain Headwaters Partnership"

The proposed "Rocky Mountain Headwaters Partnership" would be patterned after regional initiatives in other
geographic regions of the country (Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, Pacific Northwest). Those
regional initiatives are currently line items in the EP A budget. There is sizeable federal funding associated with these
regional initiatives. For example the current proposed funding for the Chesapeake Bay regional initiative and the Great
Lakes regional initiative is on the order of $20 million for each initiative.

The Rocky Mountain initiative would not necessarily have to be funded by the EP A budget. Other federal agencies
that could be considered for such a program include the Bureau of Reclamation, agencies within the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

.

Elements of the regional initiative could include:
. Certification of the states by federal granting agency so the states could to have administrative authority
delegated to them;
. A standardized application process for individual project applicants;
. Funding would be provided to local watershed groups;
. Funding would be provided for both planning activities and implementation projects; and

. Implementation projects would require an acceptable watershed plan as a prerequisite.
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Flood Protection. Water Supply Planning and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation and Drought Planning