BOARD02588

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

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to five feet and two hundred families displaced. As a result, the Governor declared a disaster
emergency for flooding on May 4, I 999 (copy attached). This declaration activated the Colorado
National Guard to provide emergency assistance to the affected areas, However, without a
Presidential declaration, the spring flood event will place a large financial demand on Colorado
because preliminary damage estimates indicate the flood losses at $50-100 million,

FEMA has just approved a Damage Survey Report submitted by the Colorado Office of
Emergency Management and determined that Colorado flood events meet eligibility
requirements for a Presidential disaster declaration, We don't know how much federal
emergency funding will be available yet (could be $800,000 to $1 million). However, we have
agreed to provide expert personnel to serve as the Flood Mitigation Officer, supervise the
preparation of flood documentation reports, direct the preparation of feasibility reports regarding
mitigation measures and projects and to assist in the presentation of workshops regarding flood
loss compensation and the reduction of future flood risks. The Disaster Field Office will be
located in Colorado Springs and we will provide further information as it becomes available.

Water Information Management Systems Workshop: On June 7-9, we will join the
Division of Water Resources and the DNR in co-hosting with the Western States Water Council
at the Denver Public Library. Topics will include: designing state water information systems,
cooperative stream gauging activities, an update on the national water quality monitoring
council, the advisory committee on water information, an overview of Colorado's water
information system, hydro base date entry tool and surface water administration, well tools, GIS
databases, the Colorado river and Rio Grande decision support systems, state water rights
administration and adjudication, water resources planning and management data collection,
monitoring and modeling; and information dissemination and public participation.

Current Water Supply Figures: The Natural Resources Conservation Service estimates
that statewide snowpack as of May 1 was 91 percent of normal, statewide reservoir storage is
130 percent (95 percent oflast year), and that most streamflow forecasts are near average (90 to
110 percent), Copies of several May I water resource indicators are attached.

Weather Modification Permitting: Bill Stanton held a public hearing on April 30 in
Greeley to consider three applications for weather modification permits for hail suppression near
Gilcrest and Eaton in Weld County, On April 22, the Western Kansas Groundwater District No.
1 began operating its hail suppression project for the third year in eastern Yuma, Kit Carson and
Cheyenne Counties.

In the next few months, we plan to offer a rule making proposal initiated by our staff with
assistance from the AG's staff to address recent statutory. changes.

Federal Policy Issues

BLM Wilderness Bill Meeting: DNR Executive Director and several division directors
met with Rep. De Gette to discuss the BLM wilderness bill she has introduced. She indicated
that it may be some time before any action is taken with respect to the bill and that she intends to
sponsor local meetings to discuss her proposal. Randy Seaholm attended the meeting and has
prepared a memo to send to Rep, De Gette regarding the need to categorize wilderness areas and
identify dam sites (attached).

Governor Owens Supports Spanish Peaks Wilderness Bill: On Apr, 21 Governor
Owens wrote to U.S. Senator Allard to support passage of the bill designating the 18,000- acre
Spanish Peaks area as wilderness. Governor Owens noted that the designation is the result of
consensus building by stakeholders,

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