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STATE OF COLORADO <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone: (303)866-3441 <br />Fax: (303) 866-4474 <br />wuu . o~n cU. state. co.us <br />Bill Ritter, Jr. <br />Governor <br />TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board Members <br />H:uris D. Sherman <br />DNR Executive Director <br />FROM: Ve~~a McCaig, Section Chief <br />Dan MoAuliffe <br />Office of Water Conser~~ation & Drought Planning Acting cwcB Director <br />DATE: No`~ember 15, 2007 <br />SUBJECT: Agenda Item lSa, November 14-15, 2007 Board Meeting <br />Water Supply Planning & Finance Section-CWCB-Climate Change Analysis <br />Introduction <br />The CWCB Office of Water Conser~~ation & Drought Planning (OWCDP) and Water Supply <br />Protect staff is requesting funding for the Analysis of Climate Change Effects on Colorado Water <br />Resources Study Project in the amount of $100,000 to be used to implement a key <br />recommendation identified in the July 2007 Board-appro~~ed Updated Information Pro~~ided in <br />Support of the 2002 Colorado Drought Mitigation and Response Plan. This Project is needed in <br />order to begin developing a water adaptation strategy to address potential impacts from climate <br />change/~~ariability on Colorado's water resources. <br />Background <br />At the July 2007 CWCB Board meeting in Craig, CO, the Board appro~~ed the Updated <br />Information Provided in Support of the 2002 Colorado Drought Mitigation and Response Plan <br />and appro~~ed the forwarding of these updates to the Colorado Division of Emergency <br />Management for integration into the Colorado Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan for ultimate <br />submission to FEMA. Recommended actions for statewide drought mitigation and response- <br />related actions were recently updated and approved at this meeting. They included a Statewide <br />Climate Change/Water Adaptation Initiative to meet the goal of preparing Colorado water users <br />for climate change. <br />Since the approval of the Updated Information, the Governor's Office released the Colorado <br />Climate Action Plan that was developed in part by the Department of Natural Resources and the <br />CWCB. A key area for action within the Plan, calls for the State to exercise leadership in <br />anticipating and adapting to the impacts of climate change upon Colorado's water resources and <br />the full range of beneficial uses associated with them. This approach will build upon sound <br />science and will strive to advance the technical platform on which water policy is based. Plan <br />Water Supply Protection • Fluud Protection • Stream & Lake Protection • water Supply Planning & Finance <br />Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate water Management & Development <br />