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<br />7.0 CRWCD SPONSORED PLAN FOR AUGMENTATION <br /> <br />Several local water conservancy districts have developed area-wide water right plans for augmentation. <br />Specifically, the Basalt Water Conservancy District has developed a plan for portions of the Roaring Fork <br />River basin. The West Divide Water Conservancy District has developed a plan for portions of the <br />Colorado River corridor below Glenwood Springs, and also for portions of the lower Roaring Fork <br />Watershed. <br /> <br />The area-wide augmentation plans use contracted Ruedi Reservoir water to augment depletions of <br />participating water users at the Cameo Demand.' Water users who are subject to only a mainstem water <br />right call are included in the plans. Water users who may be subject to local calls (which cannot be <br />augmented by Ruedi Reservoir releases) are often unable to participate in these area-wide plans. <br /> <br />These augmentation plans provide a significant benefit to many rural water users located within the <br />boundaries of the water conservancy districts. These users can develop a water supply for municipal or <br />industrial purposes simply by obtaining a water supply contract from either the Basalt or the West Divide <br />water conservancy district The appropriate district includes the contractee in their area-wide <br />augmentation plan, and the individual water user does not have to hire a water attomey or an engineer, <br />and does not have to file a separate plan for augmentation. These area-wide plans simplify and expedite <br />the development of water supplies and often reduce the overall cost of developing a water supply. <br /> <br />No area-wide augmentation plans have been developed for locations upstream of the Shoshone Demand. <br />Wolford Mountain Reservoir could provide a foundation for such a plan, as releases from this reservoir <br />could augment depletions at both the Shoshone Demand and the Cameo Demand. <br /> <br />With the use of Wolford Mountain Reservoir alone, those water users subject only to mainstem calls (such <br />as the Shoshone and Cameo Demands) could be augmented. Water users that meet this criteria may be <br />limited in magnitude and would primarily occur along the Colorado River corridor between Wolford <br />Mountain Reservoir and Dotsero. <br /> <br />Primary augmentation demands occur in more rapidly growing areas such as the Eagle River Watershed, <br />the Blue River Watershed and upper Grand County. However, these more rapidly growing areas are <br />typically subject to local water calls which cannot be augmented by Wolford Mountain Reservoir releases <br />alone. For example, we estimate that instream flow rights on the lower Eagle River below Gypsum will <br />potentially place a water right call during the late summer period of dry years. In order to augment these <br />infrequent water right calls, a local source of augmentation water would be required to supplement Wolford <br />Mountain Reservoir releases. <br /> <br />A potential augmentation strategy is to contract with the owners of a local water supply facility to obtain <br />local water storage for use in combination with Wolford Mountain Reservoir releases. In the Eagle River <br />Watershed, it may be possible to acquire water from Homestake Reservoir in return for out-of-basin <br />replacement water from Wolford Mountain Reservoir. The River District, or an other interested entity, <br />could then develop an area-wide augmentation plan for significant portions of the Eagle River Watershed. <br /> <br />25 <br />