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000454 . . . dams and reservoirs; permitting of water wells; licensing of water well construction contractors; collecting streamflow data on rivers and streams and maintaining the records; reviewing and commenting as necessary on all Water Court applications submitted to the seven water courts for the adjudication of water rights; administration of interstate compacts and intrastate water rights, and the official records documenting the water deliveries thereto. In addition, DWR has rule making responsibilities; measures snowpack data and makes predictions as to probable runoff; and reviews proposed subdivisions and other substitute water supply plans. Specific Work Units In each of the seven major drainages in the state there is a field office with staff who administer water rights and respond to public inquiries and concerns relating to the administration of water in the state. There are approximately 260 employees among these water districts and the Denver office. Document Access Requirements The first focus of imaging is water well permitting. The second focus will be diversion records and the third, court cases. While information gathered about other processes and documents is included herein, the impact of imaging on timeliness and process steps is limited to the water well permitting process. In 1994 the Unisys Corporation reviewed imaging technology for the State Engineer's Office. After reviewing the business processes, the study concluded that, "... the DNR Well Permit staff is a well run and effectively managed business unit. No changes are recommended to management policy or structure as a result of this study. " The division recently re-engineered the process for well permitting in four major ways: Significant modification of workflow processes, resulting in fewer return of application to the applicant. Revision and documentation of permitting policies and processes so that the division's water evaluators have a more thorough understanding of both. This has meant greater consistency in permit review. Increased latitude given to well-permit evaluators to reconcile obvious application errors or anomalies. In many case an evaluator can supply information more efficiently and accurately than can the applicant. The latitude allows the evaluator to supply missing or correct clearly erroneous information without bothering the applicant. This speeds up the permitting process. Complete re-design of the well-permit application form. The applicant finds the form less confusing because it relates specifically to his/her needs, and forms now arrive with fewer errors. 59