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(HYBRID) Board Meeting | March 15-16, 2023

Event Details

A meeting of the CWCB will be held on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 commencing at 10:30 AM and continuing through Thursday, March 16, 2023. The meeting will be held at The Steamboat Grand Hotel 2300 Mt. Warner Circle Steamboat Springs and virtually on Zoom.

The CWCB posts notice 30 days in advance of each regularly scheduled meeting. Notices for special meetings are posted on the website typically within five business days and not less than 24 hours of such a meeting. Notices of regular and special meetings may also be received by email. To receive notices by email please visit: https://dwr.state.co.us/Portal/Login/.

Although dates and times are indicated in this notice and in the following agenda, the CWCB may address and take action on noticed items in any order. Any known changes to the agenda will be announced at the beginning of the meeting. This notice, any late notice(s) of additional items, and briefing memos prepared for the CWCB will be on our website at https://cwcb.colorado.gov/.

The CWCB’s meetings are made available through live audio/video streaming on YouTube, although Board workshops are not. To listen to the proceedings, find links to either day's meeting on the right sidebar.

The CWCB encourages citizens to express their views and provide feedback to the Board on the agenda items. This can be done by filling out this form, by sending a letter to a Board member or to the Chair of the Board, or by attending the meeting. by sending a letter to a Board member or to the Chair of the Board, or by attending the meeting. If you want to make a public comment during the meeting you must fill out a comment sheet prior to the meeting date and email it to the Board Coordinator. The Board will appreciate hearing your views when it reaches that agenda item. If you have any questions, need special accommodations as a result of a disability, or require further information on any CWCB activity, please contact Viola Bralish at 303-866-3441, ext. 3206. All programs, services, and activities of the CWCB are operated in compliance with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Meeting Agenda

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Breakfast Presentations - 8:00-10:00

CWCB Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance - 10:30-10:45
Overview of the day - Kate Greenberg and Becky Mitchell

  1. CWCB Board Appointments and Election of Officers - 10:45-10:48
  2. Review and Approve Agenda - CWCB - 10:48-10:50
  3. Review and Approve January 23 & 24, 2023 Board Meeting Minutes - CWCB - 10:50-10:53
  4. Review and Approve Agenda – CO Department of Agriculture(CDA) - 10:53-10:56
  5. Review and Approve February 8, 2023 Board Meeting Minutes - CDA - 10:56-11:00
  6. Directors’ Reports - 11:00- 12:00
    1. DNR Executive Director/IBCC Director
    2. CWCB Director
    3. Agriculture Commissioner
    4. State Engineer
    5. Division of Parks and Wildlife Director
    6. Water Resource and Power Development Authority

LUNCH - 12:00- 12:45

  1. CWCB Basin Directors’ and CDA District Commissioners’ Reports - 12:45-2:15
    1. Arkansas River Basin Director’s Report – Greg Felt
    2. City and County of Denver Director’s Report
      Jessica Brody 
    3. Rio Grande River Basin Director’s Report  - CWCB Director & Ag Commissioner Segundo Diaz
    4. Yampa-White River Basin Director’s Report – Jackie Brown
    5. Colorado River (Mainstem) Basin Director’s Report
      Paul Bruchez & Ag Commissioners Brant Harrison and Kathryn Bedell
    6. San Juan/San Miguel-Dolores River Basin Director’s Report - CWCB Director & Ag Commissioner Simon Martinez
    7. Gunnison River Basin Director’s Report – Steve Anderson
    8. North Platte River Basin Director’s Report - CWCB Director
    9. South Platte River Basin Director’s Report - Robert Sakata & Ag Commissioners Colleen Peppler, Nick Trainor, David Blach, and Roberto Meza

Afternoon Break - 2:15-2:30

  1. Table Topic Discussion - 2:15-3:45
      •  Spring Climate Forecast
      •  Colorado Water Plan Agriculture Actions
         
    1. Attorney General’s Report, Legal Briefing, and Executive Session - 3:45-3:50
       
    2. Executive Session - 3:50-4:20
      a.  Executive Session to receive advice from legal counsel on matters related to SCPP
       
    3. Report from Executive Session - 4:20-4:25
       
    4. Approval of the Upper Colorado River Commission’s System Conservation Pilot Program Projects - 4:25-4:55
      as Water Conservation Projects Subject to C.R.S. 37-92-103(2) and 37-92-305
       Interstate, Federal, and Water Information Section
       
    5. Colorado River Updates - 4:55-5:15
        Interstate, Federal, and Water Information Section

    5:15 RECESS

    Thursday, March 16, 2023

    CWCB Board Meeting Dates in 2023

    1. May 17 & 18 – South Platte Basin
    2. July 19 & 20 – Gunnison Basin
    3. September 20 & 21 – Arkansas Basin
    4. November 15 & 16 – Denver Metro Area
    1. Approve and/or Remove Consent Agenda Items - 8:30-8:33
       
    2. Public Comment on 2023 Instream Flow and Natural Lake Level Appropriations in Water Divisions 1, 4, 5 and 6 - 8:33-8:43
      Stream and Lake Protection Section
    3. Public Notice of 2024 Instream Flow and Natural Lake Level Recommendations - 8:43-8:53
      Stream and Lake Protection Section
    4. Request to Form Intent to Appropriate ISF Water Rights in Water Division 4 on Cottonwood Creek, Monitor Creek, and Potter Creek (Montrose & Delta Counties) - 8:53-9:43
      Stream and Lake Protection Section
    5. Proposed Acquisition for Instream Flow Use - 9:43- 10:00
      Stream and Lake Protection Section
      Proposed 5 Year Water Use Agreements with the Ute Water Conservancy District and Garfield County to lease Ruedi Reservoir Water for Instream Flow Use on the 15-Mile Reach, Water Division 5 (1st Meeting)

    Morning BREAK - 10:00-10:15

    1. Water Plan Grants - 10:15-11:30

    Watershed Health & Recreation, a-k

    1. Applicant - Trout Unlimited Denver
      Project - Halo Ranch Aquatic Habitat Enhancement
    2. Applicant - Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
      Project -Lower Cache la Poudre Priority Reach Design Project
    3. Applicant - Montezuma County
      Project - Montezuma County Non-Native Phreatophyte Removal Project
    4. Applicant - Trout Unlimited Montrose
      Project - Middle Colorado AG Collaborative
    5. Applicant - RiversEdge West
      Project - Grand Valley River Corridor Initiative – River Planning Project
    6. Applicant - RiversEdge West
      Project - Uncompahgre and White River Riparian Restoration Project
    7. Applicant - Coalition for the Upper South Platte
      Project - Lake George Diversion Structure Removal and River Restoration
    8. Applicant - Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District
      Project - Southmoor Drive Channel and Floodplain Restoration
    9. Applicant - Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory dba Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
      Project - Conejos River Restoration
    10. Applicant - Colorado Open Lands
      Project - Riparian Reconnect Riverscape Restoration
    11.  Chaffee County Community Foundation
      Project - Chaffee County Fourmile Creek Multi-Benefit Restoration Project

    Conservation & Land Use Planning, l-p

    1. Applicant - Western Resource Advocates
      Project - Reducing Non-Functional Turfgrass in New Development Through Smart Land Use Planning
    2. Applicant - Multiplier
      Project - Advancing High Impact Water Efficiency Solutions in Colorado Communities
    3. Applicant - Alliance for Water Efficiency
      Project - Understanding Water Use in Mobile Homes
    4. Applicant - University of Colorado Boulder
      Project - Modeling and analysis of the effects of centralized rainwater harvesting on streamflow
    5. Applicant - City of Steamboat Springs
      Project - Steamboat Springs Smart Irrigation Central Control System
    6. Applicant - The Regents of the University of CA, Univ of CA San Diego
      Project - Enhancing Soil Moisture Observations to Support Water Resource Management in the Upper Yampa River Basin

    Storage & Supply, r-u

    1. Applicant - Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District
      Project - Trout Creek Intra-ditch Exchange Project Well and Pipeline
    2. Applicant - Eagle River Water and Sanitation District
      Project - Bolts Lake Reservoir Preliminary Design
    3. Applicant - Handy Ditch Company
      Project - Welch Expansion Feasibility Study
    4. Applicant - South Metro Water Supply Authority
      Project - South Platte Regional Opportunities Water Group (SPROWG) - Outreach Phase

    Storage & Supply/WaterSharing, v-w

    1. Applicant - American Whitewater
      Project - Quantifying recreational impacts and identifying enhancement opportunities
    2. Applicant - Colorado Water Trust
      Project - Little Cimarron River Fish and Flow Bypass Dam Retrofit

    Agriculture, x-y

    1. Applicant - Grand Valley Water Users Association
      Project - Government Highline Canal UL-18 Lining Project
    2. Applicant - Trout Unlimited
      Project - Intermountain West Alternative Forages Project – Phase I
    1. Financial Matters – Construction Fund and Severance Tax Perpetual Base Fund - 11:30-
      11:40
       Finance Section
      1. Financial Projections and Cash Management Report
    2. Water Project Loans - 11:40-11:50
       Finance Section
      1. Board of Water Works of Pueblo – Southside Diversion Dam Improvement Project
      2. Colorado City Metropolitan District – Lake Beckwith Dam Modifications

    LUNCH - 11:50-12:45

    1. Revisions to Easement Guidelines for the South Platte Downstream Channel Improvement Project - 12:45-1:00
       Watershed and Flood Protection Section
    2. South Platte River – DISH Network Easement - 1:00-1:45
       Watershed and Flood Protection Section
    3. Water Supply Reserve Fund Applications March 2023 - 1:45-2:15
       Water Supply Planning Section

    Arkansas Basin

    1. Applicant - Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative
      Project - The Upper Arkansas Comprehensive Watershed Restoration Project
    2. Applicant - Colorado Springs Utilities
      Project -  Landscape Transformation Grant Project

    Colorado Basin

    1. Applicant - Grand Valley Water Users Association
      Project - Grand Valley Water Users Association's Headworks Replacement Project

    Gunnison Basin

    1. Applicant - Crawford Clipper Ditch Company
      Project - Upper West Lateral Pipeline & Water Optimization Project
    2. Applicant - Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association
      Project - UVWUA Drought Mitigation & Response Plan

    Metro Basin

    1. Applicant -City of Lakewood
      Project - Residential Outdoor Water Conservation Program
    2. Applicant - South Metro Water Supply Authority
      Project - South Metro Water Supply Authority Regional Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) Groundwater Model 
    3. Applicant - Coalition for the Upper South Platte
      Project -  Inaugural Airborne Snow Observations Surveys in the Upper South Platte Basin

    Rio Grande Basin

    1. Applicant - Conejos Water Conservancy District
      Project - Phase 1 - Radar Based Snowpack Estimation

    South Platte Basin

    1. Applicant - St Vrain & Left Hand Water Conservancy District
      Project - 2023 Northern Front Range Airborne Snow Observation Flights

    Southwest Basin

    1. Applicant - Mancos Conservation District
      Project - Diversion Improvements for Fish & Irrigators - Phase 4
    2. Applicant - Town of Pagosa Springs
      Project - Pagosa Gateway Project

    Yampa/White/Green Basins

    1. Applicant - White River Conservation District
      Project - White River Integrated Water Initiative Phase 3
    1. Project Update – Evaluating Conserved Consumptive Use in the Upper Colorado River - 2:15-2:35
       Perry Cabot and Aaron Derwingson

      Public Comment - 2:35-2:45

    2:45 ADJOURN

    CWCB Consent Agenda March 15 - 16, 2023

    Matters may be placed on the Consent Agenda when the recommended action follows established policy or precedent, there has been a negotiated settlement, or the matter is uncontested and non-controversial. Staff provides memos to CWCB members explaining the matters on the Consent Agenda. Matters on the Consent Agenda are noticed for hearing in the same manner as other agenda items. If a member of the CWCB requests further consideration of an item on the Consent Agenda, the item will be withdrawn from the Consent Agenda and discussed during the meeting or at the next meeting, with action taken after discussion of the item. If a member of the CWCB requests further consideration of an item on the Consent Agenda that pertains to a pending or imminent court action, the matter will be withdrawn from the Consent Agenda and may be discussed during executive session of the same meeting, and any action on that item will be taken in public session. The Consent Agenda may be voted on without reading or discussing individual items. Any CWCB member may request clarification about any matter on the Consent Agenda.

     

    1. Statements of Opposition
      Stream & Lake Protection Section
      Staff recommends the Board ratify CWCB’s filing of the following Statements of Opposition:
      1. Case No. 22CW3185 (Water Division 1): Application of City of Aurora, Colorado, acting by and through its Utility Enterprise
      2. Case No. 22CW3049 (Water Division 3): Application of The Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife and The Parks and Wildlife Commission 
      3. Case No. 22CW3091 (Water Division 4): Application of Quartz Creek Land Company
      4. Case No. 22CW3044 (Water Division 5): Application of Patrick T. Lally and Valerie Lally and George I. Hodor and Ellen Hodor and EWG Aspen, LLC
      5. Case No. 22CW3125 (Water Division 5): Application of Richard C. Blum Family Partnership, L.P.
      6. Case No. 22CW3128 (Water Division 5): Application of Mainland Ranch P3 LLC
      7. Case No. 22CW3129 (Water Division 5): Application of Sopris Mountain Ranch Homeowners' Association, Inc. 
      8. Case No. 22CW3130 (Water Division 5): Application of Mainland Ranch P1 LLC
      9. Case No. 22CW3131 (Water Division 5): Application of Mainland Ranch P2 LLC
      10. Case No. 22CW3132 (Water Division 5): Application of Too Well Ranch, LLC
      11. Case No. 22CW3049 (Water Division 7): Application of Bootjack Ranch, LLC
      12. Case No. 22CW3050 (Water Division 7): Application of The Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife and The Parks and Wildlife Commission
         
    2. Water Supply Reserve Fund Grants
      1. Arkansas Basin - Applicant - Beaver Park Water Inc
        Project - Upper Canal Automated Diversion Headgate
      2. Gunnison Basin - Applicant - Pilot Rock Ditch Company
        Project - Pilot Rock Piping Project
      3. Rio Grande Basin - Applicant - Colorado Rio Grande Restoration Foundation
        Project - Anaconda Ditch Improvement Project
      4. South Platte Basin - Applicant - Open Water Foundation River Basin Information
        Project - Websites for Big Thompson River, Saint Vrain Creek
      5. Yampa/White/Green Basins - Applicant - Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District
        Project - Yampa River Dashboard
      6. Yampa/White/Green Basins - Applicant - Yampatika
        Project - Youth & Community Water Education
      7. Metro & South Platte Basins - Applicant - Agricultural Ditch & Reservoir Company 
        Project - Water System Upgrade Planning & Implementation
         
    3. Water Plan Grants

    Watershed Health & Recreation

    1.  Applicant - Year One, Inc. DBA Mile High Youth Corps
          Project - Tejon Street Wetland Riparian Restoration
    2. Applicant - Colorado Rio Grande Restoration Foundation
          Project - Rio Grande National Forest Wet Meadows Restoration Project
    3. Applicant - City of Steamboat Springs
           Project - Bear River Park Trailered River Access Design and Engineering Project

    Engagement & Innovation

    1. Applicant - River Science
        Project - Next Generation Water Leaders Program

    Conservation & Land Use Planning

    1. Applicant - Town of Mountain Village
        Project - Advanced Water Meter Replacement, Phase 1
    2. Applicant - City of Grand Junction
        Project - Grand Junction Graywater Education and Incentive Program
    3. Applicant - Eagle County Conservation District
        Project - Efficient Irrigation System Program
    4. Applicant - Arapahoe County
        Project - County Irrigation Water Conservation Study, Planning, and Implementation
    5. Applicant - Town of Avon
        Project - Avon’s Benchmark Reservoir Conservation Project: New Irrigation System and Demonstration Gardens (Design Phase)

    Agriculture

    1. Applicant - High Desert Conservation District
        Project - High Desert Drought Concern Gathering
    2. Applicant - Watershed Center
        Project - Flow Monitoring at Gold Lake and Left Hand Park

    Related Links

    Printable Agenda

     

    Receive event notices

    The CWCB posts notice 30 days in advance of each regularly scheduled meeting. Notices for special meetings are posted on the website typically within five business days and not less than 24 hours of such a meeting. Notices of regular and special meetings may also be received by email.

    Receive email notices

     

    Listen to this meeting live

    The CWCB’s meetings are made available through live audio streaming on YouTube, although Board workshops are not. To watch and listen to the proceedings, click on the buttons below (available the day of the meeting):

    Wednesday, March 15 (https://youtu.be/iMj6QTAaK5E)

    Thursday, March 16 (https://youtu.be/fJQeMDptshU)

     

    Share feedback with the board

    The CWCB encourages citizens to express their views and provide feedback to the Board on the agenda items. This can be done by sending a Public Comment Request form to Viola.Bralish@state.co.us, or by sending a letter to a Board member or to the Chair of the Board. The Board will appreciate hearing your views when it reaches that agenda item.

     

    Need anything else?

    If you have any questions, need special accommodations as a result of a disability, or require further information on any CWCB activity, please contact Viola Bralish at 303-866-3441, ext. 3206. All programs, services, and activities of the CWCB are operated in compliance with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

    Date and time
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