BOARD02574

• Board Meeting Date: 1/12/1998
• Description: WSP Section - Arkansas River Issues - a. Future Water Storage Needs Assessment, c. Ground Water Pumping Measurement Study, d. Trinidad Lake Operating Principles
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial Building
1313 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]

STATE OF COLOMDO
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MEMORANDUM

Roy Romer
Governor

TO:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

Steve Miller ,~\~~
Interstate Streams and Hydrologic Investigations Section

jilmes s. lochhe<'ld
Executive Director, DNR

Oaries C.lile, P.E.
Director, ewes

FROM:

DATE: January 22, 1998

SUBJECT: Agenda Item 25, January 28-29, 1998 Board Meeting - Arkansas River Issues _
a. Future Water and Storage Needs Assessment
c. Ground Water Pumping Measurement Study
d. Trinidad Lake Operating Principles

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INTRODUCTION
This memo briefly sunlffiarizes the status of several ongoing projects that staff is working on in the
Arkansas River Basin. These agenda items are informational only and no Board action is required,
comments and questions can be discussed during the Board meeting or addressed directly to staff
at any time.

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STATUS
1. Agenda Item 25a. Future Water And Storage Needs Assessment.
The CWCB has provided a $75,000 grant (approximately 45% of the $170,000 study cost) and
technical assistance for this study sponsored and coordinated by an "enterprise" created by the
Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District (SECWCD). The study will help municipal and
agricultural water users in the district service area identifY future water demands, evaluate the
adequacy of existing supplies and identifY potential cooperative solutions to meet projected needs.
The CWCB is participating both to encourage collaborative plarming efforts and to assess the
availability of augmentation water supplies for continued compliance with the Arkansas River
Compact.
GEl, the engineering contractor selected to conduct the study, has completed approximately 40%
of the project as ofJanuary 1, 1998. A draft study report should be available by late spring 1998.
The contractor is currently working with our Office of Water Conservation to ensure that water
conservation potentials are adequately addressed in the development of future demand scenarios and
supply alternatives. A project status meeting, in which staff will participate, is scheduled for
February 26, 1998 in Pueblo to review several new study work products.
Staff, at Director Lile's suggestion, has asked that one supply alternative considered during the study
be a proposed state sponsored water banlc This would be an attempt to follow up on the Board's
earlier Ft. Lyon Canal Study which suggested that a water bank might provide opportunities to
address several needs in the Basin. As currently proposed, the water bank could be used to facilitate