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<br />Restoration Project, it is covering a portion of the students' expenses on this trip, The students' excitement
<br />heightened when Dan Merriman provided a presentation about the water resources in Colorado, drought, the
<br />CWCB, and the Rio Blanco Project on May 8, 2002, We are looking to this trip as well. We will brief the
<br />Board about our trip experiences at the Board's July meeting,
<br />
<br />San Juan Chama Project/Rio Blanco Bypass Issues: For a number of years now the CWCB has been
<br />working cooperatively with the Bureau of Reclamation, the Division 7 Engineer and others to devise a
<br />solution to the Rio Blanco River Bypass Issue, During the summer months, from June through October, the
<br />Bureau diverts water to the San Juan Chama project and allows a bypass of 20 cfs, However, the Board has
<br />an ISF right that requires 29 cfs during these months in order to preserve the natural environment to a
<br />reasonable degree,
<br />
<br />In an effort to resolve this issue, the CWCB and Division 7 Engineer developed an operational proposal for
<br />the Bureau to evaluate, This proposal would essentially redistribute the bypass amounts and the timing of
<br />those amounts with no net gain or loss to the San Juan Chama Project, while providing for the state of
<br />Colorado's instream flow water right during the critical summer months, The Bureau is willing to evaluate
<br />this proposal, however, in order to test and implement any proposed bypass scenarios, the Bureau has
<br />indicated that it will be necessary to perform an environmental assessment (EA),
<br />
<br />To help facilitate a resolution ofthis issue in the shortest possible time, The CWCB staff has offered $5,000
<br />to assist the Bureau in their EA analysis, CWCB and Bureau staffs are currently working with one another
<br />in order to effectuate the transfer of funds prior to the end of this fiscal year.
<br />
<br />At this time the San Juan Basin is experiencing record breaking low flows, Staff has been tracking the flows
<br />on the Rio Blanco and Navajo Rivers, and it appears that the Bureau has been unable to fully operate its
<br />diversions to storage as a direct result of this low flow situation, It appears that later this summer, there is
<br />the possibility that the ISF rights will also be limited by natural low flow conditions, While this is an
<br />unfortunate hydrologic event, it will provide the Bureau, CWCB and Division 7 Engineer time to continue
<br />discussions and hopefully fl11alize the required EA prior to next year.
<br />
<br />Rio Blanco River below the Blanco Diversion
<br />
<br />nIOBLACO Discharge Graph (Hourly Average)
<br />
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<br />
<br />Date/Time
<br />Dates: 05f02/02 TO 05/12/0219:28
<br />
<br />Bureau of Reclamation's Blanco Diversion
<br />
<br />27
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