BOARD02588

• Board Meeting Date: 5/24/1999
• Description: Directors' Reports
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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2. Next fall, we could use these materials (in draft form and with space for notes or suggestions)
to support discussions in each of the major basins to get local and regional ideas about their
needs. The Board member for each basin could select a local facilitator to help organize the
meetings, prepare agendas, keep notes, and prepare summaries of the issues and needs that
are identified. Given the size and diversity of some of the principal basins, it may be
necessary to have more than one meeting, In addition to the fact sheets, a summary of the
Board's statutory responsibilities, the current CWCB Long-Range Plan and the current
Construction Fund Long Term Financial Projection could be provided to support the regional
discussions. Regional meetings could include representatives from conservation and
conservancy districts, elected and local government officials, environmental groups, etc. To
help prepare for these meetings, our staff could help draft news releases, mail invitation
letters and help answer questions at the meetings.

3. Assuming these regional water meetings are completed between September and December
1999, the Board could schedule a retreat early next year to prepare a new draft Long Range
Plan.

4. We should budget approximately $15,000 to hire local facilitators and a few thousand dollars
to cover travel and meeting expenses. Even with these expenditures, there would be adequate
funds to contract with a consultant to assist in developing the regional water fact sheets.

I know that this proposal is fairly extensive and that it implies a lot of work for you as
well as for our staff. I look forward to discussing your reactions to this proposal and any
suggestions you have for improving it.

Statewide

MEGA Board Water Planning Requests: On May 13 Mike Serlet and Bill Stanton
presented the CWCB's preliminary requests for funds from the state Severance Tax Trust Fund's
Operational Account for fiscal years 2000 and 2001. The CWCB may request up to five percent
of the funds in the Operation Account for water planning activities. In FY-2000, the CWCB will
be able to spend up to $500,000 conducting feasibility studies upon which future loans may be
made, local water planning grants, water resource data collection and conservation programs. A
copy of the preliminary request is attached,

Drought planning: Bill Stanton is prepared to begin the data collection effort for our
new drought plan inventory, We will be coordinating with the Division of Local Govermnent,
Colorado Counties, Inc., the Colorado Municipal League and several regional councils of
govermnent in this effort. However, we expect that it will be necessary to make direct contact
with most cities and town, conservancy districts, etc., to determine who has a drought response
plan and what it includes. With this information, we intend to prepare a summary description of
the basis options and develop a "menu" for those without a plan to consider. Armed with this
information we also hope to intrigue various water-user communities into an evaluation of the
performance they might expect from their water supply system in the fifth year of a drought. We
are hoping that our CROSS will help considerably in this effort. We also plan to present our
initial findings at the Western Water Workshop but, at this point, it seems clear that many
Colorado residents and communities still think only in terms of surViving a single dry year!

Governor Owens Signs Emergency Flood Order: The counties of Weld, El Paso,
Pueblo, Otero and Kiowa experienced major flooding between April 29th and May 3rd, The
counties of Larirner, Morgan and Elbert also experienced minor to moderate flooding. The
communities of La Junta and North La Junta experienced a major flood event with flood depths
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