BOARD02594

• Board Meeting Date: 1/27/1999
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - Division 5 Water Availability Study for Endangered Fish ‎(Facility Coordination)‎ - Status Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial Building
1313 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]

STATE OF COLORADO

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Bill Owens
Governor

MEMORANDUM

Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director, DNR

TO:
FROM:

. Peter H. Evans
Acting Director, ewes

DATE:
SUBJECT:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members
Randy Seaholm ~
Sue Uppendahl '7~
Interstate Streams and Hydrologic Investigations Section
January 13, 1999
Agenda Item 18.1., January 27-28, 1999 Board Meeting -
Colorado River Basin Issues - Division 5 Water Availability Study for
Endangered Fish (Facility Coordination) - Status Report

Introduction

At the November Board Meeting, staff and members of the Recovery Program were in the
process of selecting a team to conduct a water availability study aimed at further defining
opportunities to coordinate facility operations for the benefit of the endangered fish. On
December 21, 1998, the McLaughlin Water Engineering Team was selected by the
Executive Committee (consisting of members from the CWCB, Bureau of Reclamation,
Fish and Wildlife Service, West and East Slope water users and environmental interests).
The McLaughlin Team includes engineering, policy and modeling expertise from
McLaughlin Water Engineers, Jim Lochhead through Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber &
Strickland, Riverside Technology Inc., and Resource Engineering, Inc.

The Executive Committee is currently developing the Scope of Work and finalizing the
contract which will be done through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
(Foundation). Board staff will be responsible for monitoring progress and approval of
invoices. Payment will be made directly to McLaughlin Engineers by the Foundation.
Staff will continue to keep the Board updated on the progress and findings of this study.

The major purposes of this study are:

. Expand the number and types of facilities and operations considered
. Continued enhancement of peak flows in the 15-mile reach
. Identify impediments to delivery of the higher peak flows
. Defining solutions for any impediments to the delivery of the higher peaks
. Identify secondary to options for providing flow enhancements during the late
summer/early fall (July 15th - October 31") for the benefit of the endangered fish
. Assessment of any legai, physical, institutional, environmental, recreational,
operational, or political constraints as well as the risk of adversely impacting water
yield of implementing each option.

L:boardmemofjan99/18IJan99coordfac.doc