(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 our Notification Portal.

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.

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

7. 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

8. Table Topic Discussion - 2:15-3:45
   •  Spring Climate Forecast
   •  Colorado Water Plan Agriculture Actions
      
9. Attorney General’s Report, Legal Briefing, and Executive Session - 3:45-3:50
    
10. Executive Session - 3:50-4:20
    a.  Executive Session to receive advice from legal counsel on matters related to SCPP
     
11. Report from Executive Session - 4:20-4:25
     
12. 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
     
13. 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

14. Approve and/or Remove Consent Agenda Items - 8:30-8:33
     
15. 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
16. Public Notice of 2024 Instream Flow and Natural Lake Level Recommendations - 8:43-8:53
    Stream and Lake Protection Section
17. 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
18. 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

19. 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

12. Applicant - Western Resource Advocates
    Project - Reducing Non-Functional Turfgrass in New Development Through Smart Land Use Planning
13. Applicant - Multiplier
    Project - Advancing High Impact Water Efficiency Solutions in Colorado Communities
14. Applicant - Alliance for Water Efficiency
    Project - Understanding Water Use in Mobile Homes
15. Applicant - University of Colorado Boulder
    Project - Modeling and analysis of the effects of centralized rainwater harvesting on streamflow
16. Applicant - City of Steamboat Springs
    Project - Steamboat Springs Smart Irrigation Central Control System
17. 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

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

Storage & Supply/WaterSharing, v-w

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

Agriculture, x-y

24. Applicant - Grand Valley Water Users Association
    Project - Government Highline Canal UL-18 Lining Project
25. Applicant - Trout Unlimited
    Project - Intermountain West Alternative Forages Project – Phase I

20. Financial Matters – Construction Fund and Severance Tax Perpetual Base Fund - 11:30-
    11:40
     Finance Section
    1. Financial Projections and Cash Management Report
21. 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

22. Revisions to Easement Guidelines for the South Platte Downstream Channel Improvement Project - 12:45-1:00
     Watershed and Flood Protection Section
23. South Platte River – DISH Network Easement - 1:00-1:45
     Watershed and Flood Protection Section
24. 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

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

Gunnison Basin

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

Metro Basin

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

Rio Grande Basin

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

South Platte Basin

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

Southwest Basin

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

Yampa/White/Green Basins

13. Applicant - White River Conservation District
    Project - White River Integrated Water Initiative Phase 3

25. 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

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

Conservation & Land Use Planning

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

Agriculture

10. Applicant - High Desert Conservation District
      Project - High Desert Drought Concern Gathering
11. 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 

Thursday, March 16 

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).