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PROJECT MANAGER'S REPORT The Colorado satellite-linked monitoring system, providing real-time water resources data on a continuous basis from key gaging stations across the state of Colorado, remains an integral tool in the hands of the State Engineer, Division Engineers, and Water Commissioners in its primary utility, water rights administration. The system represents an important technological advance in the state's ability to monitor and evaluate current hydrologic conditions in order to effectively carry out the statutory responsibilities of water rights administration. The goals and objectives set for FY 86-87 were achieved to a satisfactory degree: . Assimilate the system into a broader range of the user community. . Increase valid data capture to 95%. . Evaluate quality assurance criteria for real-time data collection. . Increase cooperation with other operators of satellite-linked data collection hardware in Colorado. . Modify the Hydromet software to facilitate data editing and the development of the final hydrologic record. . Control operations and maintenance costs. The goals and objectives for FY 87-88 are: . Obtain increased General Funding. . Increase valid data capture to 98%. . Assimilate the monitoring system operationally within other Colorado state agencies. . Increase the network by 10%. . Increase the system capabilities by 20%. The multitude of court approved administration plans involving water exchanges, augmentation, and changes in points-of-diversion, inject levels. of complexity that typically cannot be effectively administered without the availability of real-time data. Despite the fact that the number of adjudi- cated water rights increased 19% from 1982-1987, and that the number of water diversion structures requiring direct administration increased by 11%, the number of water commissioners actually decreased from 94 to 93. These statis- tics indicate that based strictly on an increase in structures administered, the number of water commissioners should have increased by ten. If we consider the increased workload due to the growing complexity being incorpo- rated recently into water rights administration, it is estimated that the number of water commissioners should have increased by twenty. The monitoring system cannot be expected to replace the need for twenty additional water commissioners but can compliment a mQderate increase in the number of water commissioners. -5-