FLOOD01223

• County: Statewide
• Community: State of Colorado
• Stream Name: South Platte
• Title: Upper Platte River Basin Study 1979-83
• Date: 1/1/1979
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

RICHARD O. LAMM
Governor

JERIS A. DANIELSON
State Engineer

OFFICE OF THE STATE .ENGINEER
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES

April 29, 1982

1313 Sherman Street-Room 818
Denver, Colorado 80203
[phone]

MEMORANDUM

TO: Bill McDonald, Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board

FROM: Jeris A. Danielson, State Engineer

SUBJECT: Draft Report, Water Use and Management, Upper Platte River Basin

As requested, we have reviewed the above referenced report and the following
comments are provided for your consideration:

1. In talking about the upper basin's future needs, it is estimated that the
4,000,000+ population of 2020 will require an additional water supply of
483,340 acre-feet. Listed as opportunities available to meet this water
supply requirement were water exchanges, transmountain diversions and
change-over of agricultural water. The problems inherent in the actual
implementation of these opportunities should be exposed in greater detail;
i.e. legal, institutional, and economic constraints that are presently
restricting the ability to utilize the available opportunities.

2. In the discussion of problems facing agriculture, the trend in corn produc-
tion indicated that a doubling of irrigated acres and bushels of corn would
be necessary by the year 2000. It should be mentioned that new water and
additional land are not the only methods available to meet these goals.
First of all, much of the new acreage will probably be acres that are con-
verted from other crops-~provided corn demand is present. Water will go
with the converted land. Secondly, much of the increase in corn production
over the past 20 years has been a result of research which has increased
the farmers' production efficiency. This trend should continue.

3. In addressing the flood control section, some monetary values should be
included to emphasize the serious nature of flooding.

4. With regard to the section describing the Upper Platte River model, it seems
that an expanded description of the model and its various applications should
be included in the opening part of the chapter. The remaining part of the
chapter can and does give examples of these applications.