BOARD02627

• Board Meeting Date: 1/25/2005
• Description: ISF Section - Instream Flow Strategic Plan Workshop
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Other

Another funding source is the Severance Tax Trust Fund Perpetual Base Account.
Twenty-five percent of the revenues collected from the production of oil, gas, coal and a
few other minerals are set aside for loans for water projects (32-29-109 C.R.S.)

The Board is also statutorily allowed to annually request up to five percent of the funds in
the Severance Tax Trust FUnd Operational Account for projects and programs that relate
to energy, mining, geology and water. In requesting these funds the Board cooperates and
consults with the state Minerals, Energy and Geology Policy Advisory (MEGA) Board.
The requests for funds are reviewed by the CWCB, the MEGA and are the DNR
Executive Director who may forward such requests to the Govemor and the General
Assembly for consideration and appropriation through the Long Bill (32-20-104 and 32-
29-109 C.R.S.)

Instream Flow and Natural Lake Level Protection

The 1973 General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 97, which created the Colorado Instream
Flow and Natural Lake Level Program ("I SF Program") to be administered exclusively
by the CWCB. The statutory authorities for the ISF Rules are found at ~ 37-60-108
C.R.S. (1990) and ~ 37-92-102 (3) C.R.S. (1990). The basic purpose of these Rules is to
codify existing CWCB procedures for implementing this program. CWCB is responsible
for the appropriation and protection of instream flow and natural lake level water rights to
preserve the natural environment to a reasonable degree and the acquisition of water
rights to preserve and improve the natural environment.

State statutes require the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission to advise, consult
and cooperate with the Board to protect the quality of the water for beneficial uses;
minimize negative impacts on water rights and to avoid adopting control regulations that
would be either redundant or unnecessary (25-8-101 to 25-8-209 C.R.S.)

Conservation and Drought Planning

General statutory authority is given to the Board to provide conservation and drought
planning support to the State and its citizen under ~ 30-60-124 and ~ 30-60-106 C.R.S.,
respectively. The Office of Water Conservation (OWC) was established in 1991. Its
primary tasks are incorporated into the Conservation and Drought Planning Section. The
section develops and approves water efficiency plans, monitor water use, provides
technical assistance and public information, inventories and prepares drought plans and
assists with policy development, while networking with water suppliers, legislators and
key constituencies.

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