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<br />. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />DRAFT #2 <br /> <br />SB 00-215 Fiscal Note Information <br /> <br />The following are the essential elements of the bill: <br /> <br />1. Solicit proposals and recommend the development of a water project or projects by Dec 15, <br />2002. <br /> <br />2. The recommendation from the CWCB to the General Assembly must take the form of a <br />feasibility study that includes a timeIine and an analysis of impediments including federal <br />permits. <br /> <br />3. Build a water project by 2020 that makes at least 120,000-acre feet of water available <br />annually from water Divisions 4 and 5 (Gunnison and Colorado River Basins) to water <br />Divisions 1 and 2 (Arkansas and South Platte River basins). <br /> <br />4. Build a water project by 2020 that makes enough water available in water Division 4 and 5 to <br />meet foreseeable future needs (not to exceed 33 percent of the water delivered to water <br />Division 1 and 2, approximately 40,000 acre feet). <br /> <br />5. Use the CWCB fish and wildlife resources mitigation account to mitigate the project (s) <br />impacts <br /> <br />6. The CWCB shall operate maintain the project (s). <br /> <br />7. The CWCB may enter into contracts to develop, operate and maintain the project (sY. <br /> <br />8. The CWCB shall acquire land, rights of way and water rights needed for the project. <br /> <br />9. The CWCB shall execute water supply contracts to put the water from the project to <br />beneficial use. <br /> <br />10. The CWCB shall pay for the legal costs involved. <br /> <br />11. The CWCB shall study its composition and recommend a reorganization to address growth <br />Issues. <br /> <br />The CWCB estimates that the feasibility study envisioned in the bill would cost between <br />$500,000 and $2 million. This amount would include funding for two FTEs (one professional to <br />manage and oversee the drafting of the study and the completion of the reports listed below and <br />one assistant to collect information and assist with meetings and publications). The dollar figure <br />is based on comparable studies completed in the 1980s and a recent feasibility study undertaken <br />by a water user group in Northern Colorado. The study must address the financial issues, <br />permitting requirements, meetings with affected constituencies, engineering feasibility and <br />hydrology and water rights availability investigations. <br /> <br />There are only a handful of existing projects in Colorado with a storage capacity of 120,000-acre <br />feet of water or more, let alone that can yield 120,000-acre feet of water. Depending on the <br />seniority of the water rights and the hydrology of the streams involved, for a project to yield <br />120,000-acre feet, the project needs to be two to four times larger. Thus, for a project to yield <br />120,000-acre feet the storage capacity needs to be 240,000 to 480,000 acre-feet. If the additional <br />