BOARD02325

• Board Meeting Date: 3/22/2005
• Description: CF Section - Severance Tax Trust Fund Operational Account Recommendations
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Recommendation: Staff gives a low recommendation to this project because there are potentially
other funding sources available to address tamarisk control, and at this time it has not been determined
that the Board should be a lead financing agency for these type of projects.

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9. Upper Dolores River Tributaries, McPhee Reservoir & Surrounding Appurtenances
Tamarisk Control Project

Beneficiary/Grantee/Contractor: Dolores Soil Conservation District, Dolores & Montezuma
Counties' Water Users, Dolores River Tamarisk Action Group
Amount of Request: $20,000 Ranking: Low

Product Produced: The goal is to eradicate Tamarisk and Russian olive from the McPhee reservoir
and all tributaries above the reservoir. The main seed source of Tamarisk is in the II-mile stretch of
Lost Canyon above McPhee Reservoir. Dense Tamarisk thickets are found in the first 3 miles above the
reservoir. Less dense, scattered strands co-exist with other non-native woody plants upstream. Other
scattered thickets of Tamarisk exist on the main stream above McPhee. Because the upper Dolores
River and its tributaries mark the headwaters of the infestation, a high degree of success is anticipated.

Montezuma County has the highest extent and concentration of Tamarisk infestation in the State of
Colorado as provided by the 2002 Quarter quad Survey compiled by CDA and CSU, Also, Montezuma
and Dolores Counties are mineral impacted areas of the State of Colorado.

The project has generated enthusiasm in both public and private sectors, Several public meetings have
been held over the past 18 months including a Watershed meeting sponsored by the Dolores Soil
Conservation District. In attendance were numerous Federal, State and County agencies as wel1 as .
private citizens.

Water Planning Relationship: McPhee Reservoir is the second largest reservoir in Colorado. It is
the distribution and storage system of over 60,000 acres of irrigated farmlands and 200 miles of
distribution canals. Because of the low water levels due to the drought, the infestation of Tamarisk has
become endemic surrounding the low to high water line surrounding the reservoir. This has the
potential to spread throughout the irrigation system in the Montezuma Valley. Thus, the removal of
Tamarisk would have a positive effect on water planning for this region.

Recommendation: Staff gives a low recommendation to this project because there are potential1y
other funding sources available to address tamarisk control, and at this time it has not been determined
that the Board should be a lead financing agency for these type of projects.

10. Upper Rio Grande Basin Geophysical Study

Beneficiary/Grantee/Contractor:
Amount of Request:

CWCB, DWR, Rio Grande Basin Water Users, USGS
$171,000 Ranking: Medium

Product Produced: This wil1 be a cooperative study between the Colorado Water Conservation Board
(CWCB), the Division of Water Resources (DWR), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The goal is to supplement the DSS ground water flow models with Aeromagnetic and Electromagnetic
data, This data will help to obtain better estimates of the thickness and porosity of the underlying
substrata and to delineate the faults more accurately, both of which dictate the hydraulic properties of
the aquifer system. This data will be calibrated with borehole data already collected as part of the DSS
study, and used to protect Colorado's compact allocation.

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