BOARD02487

• Board Meeting Date: 9/7/1995
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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CRDSS - Third Year Development:

We have been working with the State Engineer and his staff to plan and implement the third year
of CRDSS. Originally the third year was to include over $900,000 in computer equipment and
technology. As a result of improvements in computer technology, and careful evaluation of
needs, the cost for computer hardware and software has been significantly reduced. We now plan
to expend $600,000, to be jointly shared by CWCS and the State Engineer in Denver and the
Division Engineers' offices. A centralized data processing system will be cooperatively built
which will become known as the Water Information Network (WIN). The State Engineer's field
staff will be linked with state-of-the-art PCs rather than data centered work stations. Through
this approach the State Engineer's staff will be able to provide the basic data that is needed on
an annual basis to compute and analyze the conswnptive use on the Colorado River system. The
CWCS staff will have access to the data including stream flows and diversion data for the
purpose of running the larger models, and the State Engineer's staff will be aided in their ability
to adapt to real time water administration similar to the system which was developed on the
South Platte River. In effect, the State of Colorado as a whole will benefit from the Water
Information Network (WIN), and certainly over time Colorado's compact apportionments will
be better protected. Hal Simpson and I will be developing an MOD to spell out in detail how
the two agencies are to continue to work together on this issue, and how equipment and costs are
shared.

Mineral. Energv and Geologv Policv Advisory Task Force:

We have been invited to participate in a working group established by DNR to evaluate the
present method of expending funds from the Mineral Severance Tax fund. Presently, 50% of the
revenue is distributed to local governments through grants from the Department of Local
Governments. The remaining 50% is supposed to be set aside in a permanent trust, of which the
cwes can use a portion for water project development. However, generally the funds are used
for other purposes and we have not utilized the fund for water projects. This is not the same
fund which we presently use, i.e. federal mineral lease revenues of which we automatically
receive 10%. We will be exploring options for either dedicating a percentage of the revenue to
our construction fund or to establishing a permanent trust where monies can be loaned from, but
must be repaid. The goal could be to reinvest monies from non-renewable natural resources, to
water which is a renewable natural resource.

Weather Modification Sunset Review:

The Legislature is reviewing the present Weather ModifIcation statute. Bill Stanton and I
testified in support of the program and the interim committee has voted to modify the program
rather than have it be subject to sunset. Modifications include only requiring a permit rather than
a permit and a license, as is presently the case, but revising the rules to include basic
qualifications within the permit process for anyone who will be operating or managing a
modification program.