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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I o Colorado Water Conservation Board - The ewCB is the State agency charged with the responsibility of planning for the development of Colorado's water resources, The CWCB is responsible for overall management of the San Miguel Study, Partial funding for a project could be provided from the ewCB Construction Fund. o Boyle Engineering Corporation - Boyle Engineering is the consulting firm selected to conduct the study, Boyle has performed the analyses and is responsible for the production of study reports. Backe:round Investigations by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) for a San Miguel Project were published in the 1966 "Feasibility Report - San Miguel Project, Colorado" and in the 1982 "Planning Report on the San Miguel Project, Colorado." The San Miguel Project was one of the projects authorized for construction in the Colorado River Basin Project Act of September 30, 1968 (Public Law 90-537). The 1982 report concluded, however, that a San Miguel Project, as proposed at that time, was not economically feasible. Most of the alternatives studied by the USBR involved mainstem reservoirs on the San Miguel River to provide irrigation water supplies. It is the desire of the SMWCD and the CWCB to consider smaller, less expensive project configurations which may not require mainstem reservoirs for irrigation supplies. In January 1984, the SMWCD, the CWCB and the Southwestern Water Conservation District sponsored preliminary (reconnaissance) studies for expansion of Lone Cone Reservoir and for a more comprehensive development plan of the San Miguel project area, The preliminary studies were completed in 1985 with a recommendation for a program of improvements and expansions to the four irrigation systems in the study area, In January 1985, the ewCB recommended that the Colorado General Assembly authorize a SMWCD project. The Legislature authorized the project in HB 1042 of the 1985 session, As approved by the General Assembly, the project includes the expansion of Lone Cone Reservoir, construction of Marie Scott Reservoir and repairs and enlargements to other parts of the irrigation systems in the study area. HB 1042 requires, however, that the ewCB must determine that a San Miguel Project is technically and financially feasible before loaning any money for construction. The current study will provide the ewCB with additional information to make a decision about the technical and financial feasibility of a project. I-2