DWR_3348278

• Board or Commission: Colorado Ground Water Commission
• Document Type - Board and Commission Meetings: Meeting Document
• Document Date: 8/15/2003
• Subject: MEETING MATERIALS

August 7, 2003
MEMORANDUM

TO: Ground Water Commission Members

FROM: Suzanne M. Sellers, Designated Basins Team

SUBJECT: Upcoming Ground Water Commission Meeting

The upcoming Ground Water Commission meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Friday, August 15, 2003 at the Comfort Inn, 911 N. Main Street, Gunnison, CO 81230. An agenda for the meeting
was mailed to you about three weeks back. Please find enclosed herein the following:

Minutes of the last Commission meeting, Agenda Item No. 3.

Selected materials regarding the appeal of action by the State Engineer and the Colorado Ground Water Commission by Gallegos ETAL. Other related materials have been previously submitted
to you under separate cover by the individual parties, Agenda Item No. 9.

Staff Activity Report, Agenda Item No. 10.

Attorney General’s Report, Agenda Item No. 11.

Hearing Officer's Report.

A copy of the re-amended Ground Water Commission Rules incorporating the newly adopted rules that require historic use analysis and administration for rotational acres.

Memo regarding new application fee structure for the Office of the State Engineer.

Please call if there are any questions about the Commission meeting.

S:\DesBasPrograms\GWC Meetings\Nov2002\PacketGWCNov02.doc

cc: Commission Staff (w/ enclosures)

Memorandum
Upcoming Commission Meeting
Page 2

FRED A. HEFLEY, CHAIRMAN, Walsh; JON B. BROWNELL, VICE-CHAIRMAN, Hooper; EUGENE A. BAUERLE, Julesburg; ANNE J. CASTLE, Denver; DENNIS W. CORYELL, Burlington;
MICHAEL GROSS, Silt; RICHARD F. HUWA, Keenesburg; F. W. (BILL) KERKSIEK, Strasburg; ERNEST L. MIKITA, Calhan

EARNEST L. MIKITA, CHAIRMAN, Calhan; C. MAX SMITH, VICE-CHAIRMAN, Walsh; EUGENE A. BAUERLE, Julesburg; LARRY W. CLEVER, Grand Junction;
DENNIS W. CORYELL, Burlington; RALPH G. CURTIS, Alamosa; RICHARD F. HUWA, Keenesburg; FRANK P. JAEGER, Elizabeth; ROBERT R. LOOSE, Wiggins

Memorandum
Upcoming Commission Meeting
Page 2

QRTSTATAug03.xlsQRTSTAT.XLS
Print_Area_MI
TABLE 1
DESIGNATED BASINS BRANCH
QUARTERLY ACTIVITY REPORT
C.R.S. 37-90-

NEW
REPLACE

CHANGE
BASIN
EXEMPT
NON-EXEMPT

RECEIVED
ISSUED
N. HIGH PLAINS
KIOWA BIJOU
S. HIGH PLAINS
UPPER BLACK SQR
LOST CREEK
CAMP CREEK
UPPER BIG SANDY
TOTAL
SUMMARY OF APPLICATION ACTIVITY
APPLICATIONS
INCOMPLETE
RETURNED
DENIED

AP
NP
AU
AR
AD & AW

EXEMPT PERMITS
NON-EXEMPT PERMITS

CHANGE APPLICATIONS
UPPER CROW CREEK
MAY 01, 2003 THROUGH JULY 31, 2003
105.00
107.00
111.00
111.00
41.00
49.00
23.00
0.00
0.00
4.00
4.00
1.00
12.00
76.00
100.00
4.00
9.00
24.00
0.00
2.00
0.00
0.00
7.00
5.00
0.00
6.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
31.00
22.00
4.00
19.00
20.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.00
17.00
33.00
0.00
7.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.00
1.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
4.00
7.00
0.00
1.00
1.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
4.00
178.00
218.00
32.00
42.00
47.00
6.00
8.00
3.00
22.00
178.00
218.00
73.00
48.00
8.00
48.00
55.00
34.00
106.00
0.00
3.00
22.00
8.00
4.00
0.00

StaffReportAug03.doc STATE OF COLORADO
GROUND WATER COMMISSION
Division of Water Resources
Department of Natural Resources

1313 Sherman Street, Room 818
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone [phone]
FAX [phone]
Bill Owens
Governor

Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director, DNR

Hal D. Simpson, P.E.
Executive Director
August 7, 2003

MEMORANDUM

TO: Hal D. Simpson, Executive Director - Ground Water Commission

FROM: Suzanne M. Sellers, Designated Basins Team

SUBJECT: Staff Activity Report for May 1, 2003 through July 31, 2003
AGENDA ITEM # 10

Various activities performed during the last quarter are briefly described below.

New and Replacement Applications

Table 1 provides a breakdown, by basin, of permitting activity for the last quarter. The following permit activities were performed:

Small capacity:

178 small-capacity well applications were received
218 small-capacity well permits were issued

Large Capacity:

48 large-capacity well or Determination of Water Right applications were received
55 large-capacity well permits or Determination of Water Rights were issued

Table 2 shows the current status of new and replacement permit applications for the large-capacity wells.

Change Applications

Table 3 provides the current status of the change applications. During the last quarter the following
change application activities occurred:

3 new applications were received;
22 change applications were approved; and
56 applications are currently in different stages of processing, including 1 in initial processing, 9 in publication, and 46 in hearing (including for 39 for Eagle Peak Farms) as shown
in Table 3.
Final Permit Activities

For this last quarter, final permit activity continued within the Southern High Plains, Upper Crow Creek and Northern High Plains, and with a select group of permits within Upper Big
Sandy, Upper Black Squirrel Creek and Lost Creek basins.

For this past quarter, final permit activity remained focused on the Southern High Plains. In this basin in the last quarter, 34 letters have been sent to well owners as a first request
for additional information to clarify the well permit. In addition, ten certified letters have been sent to those well owners who failed to respond to the initial written request.
In response to past requests for information, 31 statements of beneficial use have been received. Of those, twelve have been accepted, six returned for additional information and
the rest are being processed.

Work also continues on Upper Crow Creek. All 103 permits in Upper Crow Creek that require final permits at this time are ready for signature.

And finally, the clarification process continues for a group of well permits located in the Upper Big Sandy, Upper Black Squirrel Creek and Lost Creek basins. These permits were issued
prior to November 1973, where the appropriation is not based on over-lying land ownership. The permit files are in review and requests for additional information have been sent to
the well owners. As experienced in other basins, response to these requests has been slow.

As indicated before, there is the problem of lack of current ownership information within many of the permit files, which delays the clarifying process. In order to facilitate correspondence
with well owners, the staff asks District Managers to encourage land owners to complete and submit change of ownership/address forms to the Commission Staff, if they have acquired wells
or moved in the last 10 years.

Objections/Hearings

Pending hearing cases are listed in the Hearing Officer's report. The Staff took part in pre-hearing conferences or otherwise spent time trying to resolve or otherwise work on the
hearing cases related to following applicants. The Eagle Peak Farm applications are currently in Adams County District Court and the Bradbury application is currently being appealed
to the Colorado Supreme Court.