BOARD02336

• Board Meeting Date: 9/27/1999
• Description: Directors' Reports
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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conducting public hearings and monitoring our progress in implementing the recommendations of the
technical report. The report's recommendations include:

· develop a South Platte River decision support system;
· conduct hydrologic, geologic, and groundwater studies recommended by the technical peer review
groups;
· determine whether increased runoff from urbanization should be a replacement for depletions
caused by urban groundwater pumping; and
· consider a de minimis standard for groundwater pumping levels that would not be required to
replace depletions caused by groundwater use.

I was asked to brief the Special Committee concerning the Metropolitan Water Supply
Investigation and Kent was asked to review the status of the Platte River Endangered Species Cooperative
Agreement. The highlight of the day, however, was Justice Hobbs' review of Colorado water law as it
relates specifically to the Denver Basin Aquifer and the South Platte River. The Special Committee
intends to take another tour of the Tamarack Project that is vital to the success of the South Platte
Partnership in the next few weeks.

Chatfield Reallocation Study: The State Controller's Office has approved the changes in the
contract between the state and the Army Corps of Engineers contractor requested before work could begin
to examine how storage space in Chatfield reservoir might be reallocated. At long last, this will allow us
to proceed with formation of several advisory groups and to begin the work that has been postponed for
several years. The contract signing process has taken seven months. I hope to see a fully executed
contract by October I,1999!

Extreme Precipitation Study: Colorado State University is moving forward on the study. A
project status meeting is scheduled for October 22 1999 to discuss the Phase II work plan. A complete
project update will provided at the November board meeting.

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Yampa and White River Basin

Yampa Water Management Planning: Dan McAuliffe chaired a meeting was held in Steamboat
Springs on August 23 to initiate a process to assist the USWS in deciding whether to prepare a
Programmatic Biological Opinion for the Yampa River basin. The opinion would evaluate the Upper
Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program's ability to ensure fish recovery while water development
continues in the basin. Among the many issues the group identified that need to be addressed are:
. the geographic scope of the opinion,
· what federal action would provide the basis for the opinion,
· how large should the development increment be covered by the opinion,
. the value of an incidental "take" provision, the value of recovery agreements,
· specific recovery actions that should be in the opinion,
· re-initiation triggers,
. accounting for new deletions,
. the role of instream flows,
. whether the opinion would affect water rights administration,
. the consideration of interruptible supply contracts as a mechanism to provide water; and
. recovery goals for the species.

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