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, ~ENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7021 2-17-94 14:07 .,r',f . , COLORADO RIVER COMPUTER PROGRAM, The State of Colorado, through the Colorado Water Conservation Board, has begun work on the development of a computer p gram to simulate the flow of the Colorad River as it is modified by the exercise of water rights decreed on the main ste and ita tributaries within Colorado. number of proprietary models havs previously been developed by individu, water users or groups of water users and various engi.neerini consultants, ut this would be the first time the sta~ehas undertaken such a project on t~ Colorado River. The stat s entry into the field has been a matte of some controversy over the past few years for several reasons. Some critics I were concerned that the state's effort would only duplicate, at considerablerpublic expense, competent work that ha~ alresdy been, done by the private sect9r., Others questioned the need for such a highly sophisticated, real time m~del for .a river that has always been well administered without such a tool, e pecial1y in view of the fact thst anywhere from 800,000 to 1,000,000 acre feet of Golorado's share of the river annual1y flows out of the state w:Ithout having bee used by any Colorado appropriator. , Neverthel ss, the State Leltislatl1re was persuad d to fund the start up of the 'J , .. 303 866 4474;# 2 oa1257 project in 1993 in the expectation that work on the project would go forward over a period of four years at an esti- mated total cost of about $7,000,000. The Colorado Water. Conservation Board Was designated as the lead agency to guide the project and a team was assembled to oversee the work 0 the consulting firm employed to do the ork. That team, which regularly confers with experts in the State Engineer's ffice and, as needed, with representativ s of the lII8jor water users, is led by IHOSS Bethel, a prinoipalin the firm of Leonard Rice Water Engineers. Ross is widely aoknowledged as one of the most~able river modelers in the West. He has' extensive experienoe in represe ting pubUo and private water users. An ther outstandini engineer from'the ran:jts of consultants, George Fosha of ~ . W . Wheeler and Assooiates, will part~~pate in various phases of the team's eff rts. Rounding out the team is Ray Al arez formerly with the firm of Bishop Bro de~ and Associates, who will work full time with the Colorado Water Conserv tion Board in management of the project The actual mCldellng work will be carrie out by the firm of Riverside Techn ogy, Inc., of Fort Collins. The prestiiious team the stat has assembled will go a long way to ass ring the oredibU1ty of the project. More importantly, the commitment that team has made to oonf!'lr with and seek put from the water users will assure th t the final work product will not be duplic tive of other work, but can provid 'an extremely useful tool for al1 to use i the analysis of Colorado River operation and adm1n1stration of the river. Jaok F. Ross