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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />METRO WATER SUrLY INVESTIGATION. We convened a final meeting <br />of the MWSI Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on December 21 to finalize the <br />report of our 5-year effort to evaluate cooperative water supply opportunities within the <br />Front Range metropolitan communities. These efforts demonstrate that there are <br />substantial opportunities to enhance water supplies through the conjunctive use of surface <br />and ground water, reuse of treated effluent and cooperative operation of existing water <br />rights and infrastructure. While each of these categories appears to offer significant <br />opportunity, they each raise logistic, economic and political concerns as well. The <br />concerns associated with the "interruptible supply" concept were sufficient to persuade <br />the TAC to limit its development and evaluation. <br /> <br />The communication and trust developed among many of the participating <br />communities and the information shared and refined through the process make the <br />$450,000 cost seem quite small. The essence of the report has not changed since last <br />January, when our consultant presented it to you. We will bring copies ofthe final report <br />for you to the meeting. However, since this initiative went over budget, we will need to <br />charge a fee for other copies of the report .to cover the copying cost. The spreadsheet tool <br />and the report will also be available (free) to the public through our website. <br /> <br />COLORADO DROUGHT TASK FORCE. The Colorado Drought Task Force <br />met on December 15, 1998 to assess water supply conditions and the statewide potential <br />for drought concerns. The statewide snowpack average was approximately 92% of <br />average as of December 14, but it was only about 60% for the northern half of the state. <br />As of January 8,1999 the statewide average dropped to about 78% (approximately 83% <br />for the southern half and 72% for the northern half) and the long-range forecast is for <br />above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation. The only source of <br />consolation may be the old expression that "if you don't like the weather in Colorado, <br />wait five minutes." <br /> <br />We are anxious to begin our survey of drought plans adopted by Colorado <br />communities following this meeting. This information has not been collected for many <br />years and should enable us to identify the alternatives that are attractive to different <br />communities and evaluate the extent to which our communities have anticipated the <br />hardships of a sustained drought. <br /> <br />SNOWMAKING AND THE PROTECTION OF INSTREAM FLOWS. As a <br />result of Colorado's dwindling snowpack and low stream flows this winter, several ski <br />areas, newspapers and many others joined us in watching the stream gages! The <br />relationship between the snowmaking activities at Keystone and the Board's 6-cfs <br />instream flow right on the Snake River got the most attention. Due to the strength of our <br />instream flow staff and their relationship with the various Summit County ski areas, <br />however, we were able to monitor and resolve these concerns effectively. Dan Merriman <br />deserves a great deal of credit for this success, as does Kathy Kanda for her assistance in <br />coordinating the delivery of information to the news media and the Governor's Office. <br /> <br />CHERRY CREEK DAM SAFETY. The V.S Army Corps of Engineers has <br />attracted lots of attention from landowners near Cherry Creek Dam and Reservoir by <br />