WSPC02418

• File Number: 8283.200
• Description: Colorado River - Colorado River Computer Models - CRDSS
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 12/16/1993
• Author: Various
• Title: CRDSS News Articles-Press Releases-Etc - December 1993 through January 1997
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: News Article/Press Release

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acre feet of Colorado's share of the river
annually flows out of the state without
having been used by any Colorado
appropriator (the actual amount of
Colorado's unused compact entitlement is
the subject of debate and is one of the
driving issues behind the CRDSS),

Nevertheless, the State Legislature
was persuaded to fund the start up of the
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 (this
figure may increase to $8,000,000) .

The Colorado Water Conservation
Board and the Division of Water
Resources (State Engineer's office) are
co-sponsoring the project and have
assembled a team to oversee the work.
The State's project management team is
lead by Ross Bethel, a principal with
Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engi-
neers, Ross has extensive experience in
river simulation modeling for public and
private water users. State staff also
involved in CRDSS project management
includes Ray Alvarado, formerly with the
firm of Bishop Brogden and Associates
and now with the Colorado Water Conser-
vation Board, and Ray Bennett, formerly
with Boyle Engineering and now with the
Division of Water Resources. The
consulting team, headed by Riverside
Technology, Inc., and including
Colorado State University, also includes
another outstanding engineer, George
Fosha of W. W, Wheeler, George will be
the primary lead for the development of
the CRDSS river simulation models on
Colorado River tributaries within
Colorado, A technical advisory committee
of major Colorado River water users has
been assembled to help guide system
development. Technical subcommittees
include members of the Technical
Advisory Committee and other experts
from the consulting community,

The prestigious team the state has
assembled will go a long way to assuring
the credibility of the project. More
importantly, the commitment that team

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has made to confer with and seek input
from the water users will assure that the
final work product will not be duplicative
of other work, but can provide an
extremely useful tool for all to use in the
analysis of Colorado River operations and
administration of the river.

Jack F, Ross

MAJOR CHANGES PROPOSED DURING
THIS SESSION OF THE COLORADO
LEGISLATURE CONCERNING WATER

To date, over a dozen pieces of
legislation have been introduced which
would impact water users either from a
water rights standpoint or from the
standpoint of environmental regulation.
Our readers should be aware that many
of these bills could have significant
impacts upon their rights if passed into
law. Because movement is quick at the
legislature, anyone concerned with the
particular areas mentioned in this
summary should contact us for additional
insights. Listed below are some of the
topics which are being debated in this
session of the legislature:

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1. A change in the priority of conditional
water rights if used for other than the
original intended purpose (SB54).

2. Changes to make the marketing of
water outside the state more feasible
(HBI006) ,

3. State funding for construction of
certain public and private water
projects (SB29).

4, A proposal to modify the powers of
conservancy districts (HBI027).

5. A proposal to modify and restrict the
movement of water from one area of
the state to another which differs
from the current practice (SB95).

6. A proposal to modify the current
post-pumping requirements for wells

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