The document summarizes an Eagle County Town Hall meeting about water issues in the Colorado River Basin. It provides background on water history in Eagle County, the Colorado Water Plan, and the Basin Implementation Plan (BIP) process. It discusses key themes from public outreach, the status of BIP projects, and upcoming opportunities for public input into the plan. The goal is to develop a grassroots document through the BIP process that identifies projects, policies, and processes to help address the projected gap between future water supply and demand in Colorado through 2050.
2. Agenda
Eagle 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. Eagle County Water History
Value of water locally
Environment and habitat
Ranching/Agriculture
Fishing/boating
Water supply
Skiing
Impacts
Mining
Transmountain diversion
Community growth
4. Eagle County Water History
Early development
Municipal use – small towns
Agriculture, ranching
Mining
Later development
Recreation
Resort Economy
Growing Towns
5. Eagle County Developed Water
LEDE Reservoir (1931)
Homestake Project (1967)
Black Lakes
Snowmaking
Eagle River Memorandum of Understanding (1998)
Eagle Park Reservoir
Vail & Avon Whitewater Parks (RICDs)
Denver Settlement (2007)
Colorado River Cooperative Agreement (CRCA)
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.
10. 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
11. Your Opportunity
CWP is an opportunity to transition from an
individual perspective to a regional perspective.
12.
13.
14. 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
15. 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
16. 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
17. 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
22. Figures from report “Water and its Relationship to the Economies of the Headwaters Counties,” commissioned by the Northwest Colorado Council of governments.
23. 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!
24. 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)
25. 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
26.
27.
28. Estimates flow-related ecological RISK at a regional scale.
Hydrologic foundation – used Colorado's StateMod to model daily
natural/current flows.
Classify stream segments by hydrogeomorphic setting.
Using existing studies and data, developed quantitative models of flow
alteration and ecological response.
Utilized Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) software to analyze
hydrologic data.
Developed mapping showing areas that may be at risk due to changes
in flow regime.
Watershed Flow
Evaluation Tool (WFET) -
29. 0
5000
10000
15000
20000
10/1 11/1 12/1 1/1 2/1 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1
Spring
> create and maintain channel
features for spawning and seed
establishment
> provide cues for initiation of
spawning migration
Summer and autumn
> temp cues for
spawning
> off-channel habitats
for young
> steady water level
decline supports root
establishment
Winter
> minimal fluctuations
enhance survival of
fishes.
> ice scour regulates
woody riparian plants.
YampaRiveratMaybell,WaterYear1917(cfs)
Colorado pikeminnow
Narrowleaf cottonwood
Understanding Flow Patterns &
Ecological Response
30. 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]
31. 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
32. 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
Misc
AGNC NWCOG
Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs
Colleges
County Commissioners
33. Upcoming Meetings
Town Hall Meetings
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.
34. Have you Checked Out the
Website?
http://coloradobip.sgm-inc.com/
35.
36.
37. Thank You
This is your plan and project….we want to
hear from You! You are driving this plan!
Breakout stations
Consumptive
Non Consumptive
Agriculture
Policy