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<br />o <br /><:::> <br />o <br />~) <br />w <br />CJ\ <br /> <br />SAN mAN RIVER BASIN IN COLORADO <br />FUTURE WATER USAGE ANALYSIS REPORT <br /> <br />Introduction <br />This report is prepared as an attachment to the Section 7 Consultation for future water depletions <br />in the Colorado portion of the San Juan River Basin. The Consultation is being requested under <br />the auspices of the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (SJRBRIP). The <br />purpose of this report is to describe the estimated future water usage for a period of at least 20 <br />years. <br /> <br />Estimated Future Deoletion <br />Colorado is taking steps to secure adequate water development potential in the Colorado portion <br />of the San Juan River basin. Colorado has reviewed the potential water development in the San <br />Juan River basin and estimated that up to 16,000 acre-feet of water might be depleted in no less <br />than 20 years due to growth and development and not exceed Colorado's share of the Colorado <br />River Compact. The depletions allocated to Animas-LaPlata Project are not included. <br /> <br />The estimate is generally based upon increasing the present non-irrigation water usage by 50% <br />and an increase in irrigated land of 4,000 acres. The non-irrigation depletions in Colorado in the <br />San Juan River Basin are estimated in the SJRBRJP "baseline" to be about 16,000 acre-feet per <br />year, the estimated increase of 50% over the current usage is an additional 8,000 acre-feet. In <br />addition to the non-irrigation depletions, 4,000 acres of new irrigated land for agriculturc and turf <br />(not included in municipal usage) is estimated to occur; the average depletion per acre is <br />estimated to be 2 acre-feet per acre for a total depletion of 8,000 acre-feet. <br /> <br />In summary, the estimated annual depletions in the next 20 years or longer is 16,000 acre-feet for <br />uses such as, but not restricted to: irrigation, domestic, municipal, industrial, evaporation. <br /> <br />Recommended Deoletion Accounting <br />This Section 7 Consultation is predicated upon obtaining a basinwide consultation to allow <br />16,000 acre-feet of additional depletions. New projects that will need depletions will in nearly <br />all, if not all, cases require an ESA Section 7 Consultation for endangered species as part of the <br />pennitting process for the new facilities. As US Fish and Wildlife Service receives these new <br />Section 7 consultations for specific projects, a copy of the consultation data will be provided to <br />the CWCB to determine if the new project depletions can be included in the depletions allowed <br />by this consultation. <br /> <br />The CWCB will maintain an up to date account of annual depletions. The CWCB will notify the <br />US Fish and Wildlife Service during each consultation of whether the proposed annual depletion <br />is within the 16,000 acre-feet of annual depletions allowed under this consultation. If the new <br />project depletions are within the 16,000 acre-feet the endangered fish portion of the ESA Section <br />7 consultation would be covered by this consultation. If the annual project depletions cannot be <br />included under this consultation then a separate, project specific Section 7 consultation for the <br />endangered fish would be conducted <br />