2. Agenda
Summit County Water History
Background
Colorado Basin Roundtable
Colorado Water Plan
Basin Implementation Plan (BIP)
BIP Project Status
Where have we been?
Where are we going?
Breakout Stations
This is your plan
Input
3. Summit County Water History
Value of water locally
Environment and habitat
Fishing/boating
Water supply
Skiing
Impacts
Mining
Transmountain diversion
Community growth
4. Colorado River Cooperative
Agreement Benefits
Environmental Enhancement Project Funds - $1M/ $9M
Wastewater Treatment Upgrades Fund - $1M
West Slope Fund – watershed enhancement
Summit and Grand – watershed and forest health – 20%
Denver commitment to conservation and reuse – 29,000
Acre-Feet
Denver commitment to lake levels and lower Blue river
flows
No future development of water or use of Denver’s
transbasin infrastructure without agreement
5. Summit County Water History -
Projects
Mine site remediation (multiple efforts within French
Gulch; Peru Creek; St. John's Creek)
Dillon Reservoir and Dam
Low flow channel
Wetlands mitigation
Stream restoration
Water treatment plant improvements
Forest health and watershed improvements
6. Background
Basin Roundtables
HB 1177 (2005)
9 Roundtables in Colorado (8 watersheds plus 1 additional for
the Metro)
Colorado Water Plan
Executive Order May 2013
Plan has to show how we meet the Gap
Planning horizon is 2050
Basin Implementation Plan
Grassroots document
Projects, policies and processes on how to meet the Gap
7. Colorado Water Plan Overview –
Governor’s Executive
Order
Compilation of 9 Basin
Roundtables Plans
How can we meet the
“Gap”?
Planning horizon-2050
Draft due July 2014
8.
9. Governor’s Executive Order-Why?
The “Gap” between future demand and future
projects is real….500,000 acre-feet per year
Population
Drought
Transfer of water rights from agriculture is
unacceptable
Water quality
Interstate issues pressing
Front Range new supply project
10. Your Opportunity
CWP is an opportunity to transition from an
individual perspective to a regional perspective.
11.
12.
13. Colorado Basin Population
Projections
County
2000
Population
2030
Population
Increase in
Population
2000 to
2030
Percent
Change
2000 to
2030
Percent
Annual
Growth
Rate
Eagle 43,300 86,900 43,600 101 2.3
Garfield 43,800 119,900 76,100 274 5.2
Grand 12,900 28,800 15,900 123 2.7
Mesa 116,250 220,600 104,350 190 3.8
Pitkin 15,900 27,200 11,300 71 1.8
Summit 25,700 50,400 24,700 96 2.3
TOTAL 248,000 492,600 244,600 99 2.3
Population doubling
Ref: SWSI and AGNC
14. Conservation Ag to Urban
Transfers
New Projects
(Colorado Basin
development)
How can we Fill the Gap?
Already planned projects (Windy Gap firming, Moffat
Collection System) +
Graphics provided by the Colorado Foundation forWater Education
15. Existing Stresses
Headwaters: Low, Flat Flows
Flows reduced by transmountain diversions.
Ecosystem impacts: degraded habitat for fish,
riparian vegetation
Economic impacts: impediment to growth, tourism
Middle section: Flows depend on Shoshone Call
Water quality concerns: natural gas drilling, saline
springs
Rapid population growth
Lower section: Flows depend on Cameo, Shoshone
Salts and selenium leach into river when water
percolates through soils
Less high-mountain water makes river saltier
16. Threats, Challenges, Issues
Compact Calls
Transbasin diversions
Endangered Species
Growth separation of land use and water planning
Energy
Shoshone Call
Loss of agriculture
Climate change
21. Figures from report “Water and its Relationship to the Economies of the Headwaters Counties,” commissioned by the Northwest Colorado Council of governments.
22. BIP Project Status –
Where Have we Been?
Visioning document White Paper, West Slope Principals
Developed themes from PLT’s, public, and interviews
Goals and Measureable outcomes (3 PLT’s)
Actions
Short term actions
Long term actions
Constraints and opportunities
Main-stem administration and management issues
GIS maps of each region/county/watershed
Public outreach activities
Water provider interviews
All of this is iterative and subject to your input!
23. Project Status –
Where are we Going?
Continuation of Public Outreach
April Implementation Strategies
May and June finalize report, feedback, reviews,
resolutions?
July 15 Draft BIP due to CWCB (July 16..go fishing)
December 2014 Draft to Governor
Building off existing SWSI information and other
sources
Nonconsumptive Needs Assessment (NCNA)
24. Roundtable Themes
Local control
Land use - connection with water use
Healthy rivers
Not just flat, but supporting healthy biology
Multi-purpose projects
Existing reservoirs, restricted, better cooperation of review
Why reliance upon stream – vulnerable no redundancy
Save agriculture
No water to support other basins
Protect Mainstem water rights operations
Regional cooperation
Themes change and evolve
25. Nonconsumptive Needs
Assessment (NCNA)
Part of the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI)
2010
Environmental and recreational mapping – focus areas
and projects and methods
Habitat restoration (bank stabilization or instream
habitat restoration)
Flow protection [voluntary flow agreements, instream
flow (ISF) donations, voluntary re-operation of
reservoirs for environmental and recreational benefit]
26. Nonconsumptive Needs
Assessment (NCNA)
Attributes at risk
Water quality
Geomorphic function
Riparian/wetlands ecological function
Aquatic ecological function
Recreational boating
#1 Factor affecting attributes - FLOW
Quantification of “at-risk” reaches = 64+
5 reaches within Blue River
27. Public Outreach Nonconsumptive
Recovery Program, Conservation Rep. for the Recovery Program Implementation Team
Bureau of Reclamation
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Denver Water
Bureau of Land Management
United States Forest Service
Nonconsumptive Roundtable Representatives
Trout Unlimited
Consumptive
Water provider interviews
Agricultural
NRCS Ag Days (January 29)
Rancher/Farmer individual meetings
Colorado River District-Colorado River Water Supply and Demand Study
28. Upcoming Meetings
Town Hall Meetings
Thursday, March 27, 6-8 p.m., Avon (Walking
Mountains Science Center)
Thursday, April 3, 6-8 p.m., Grand Junction (Grand
Junction City Hall)
Thursday, April 10, 6-8 p.m., Aspen (Rio Grande
Building/Conference Room)
Colorado Basin Roundtable Meeting
April 14, 2014, Glenwood Springs Community Center,
noon – 4 p.m.
29. Have you Checked Out the
Website?
http://coloradobip.sgm-inc.com/
30.
31. Thank You
This is your plan and project….we want to
hear from You! You are driving this plan!
Breakout stations
Gaps
Needs
Projects
Concerns