Colorado River

Basin Implementation Plan

Colorado River Basin Roundtable

Presentation Outline

1. BIP – What is it?

2. How the Draft Colorado BIP was created

3. BIP Findings

4. Next Steps

BIP – WHAT IS IT?

Governor Hickenlooper’s Order

• Basin Implementation Plans prepared by the nine

Roundtables

• Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB)

coordinated the BIPs and drafted the Colorado

Water Plan

• Draft BIPs due on July 2014, final due April 2015

• BIP has to describe the consumptive and non-

consumptive water needs and plans to meet

Basin supply “gaps”

• Planning horizon to the year 2050

Yampa/White

Gunnison

Southwest

Rio Grande

Arkansas

South Platte

Metro

North

Platte

Colorado

Why Now?• The statewide water “Gap” between future demand and future

projects is real….estimated at 500,000 acre-feet per year!

• Forecasted population growth to 2050:

– Statewide growth to double from 5 to 10 million

– Fastest growth will be in the Colorado River Basin Counties,

more than 240%

– Garfield County growth projected to be 274%

• Ongoing persistent drought

• Transfer of water rights from agriculture is unacceptable

• Water quality impacts are becoming acute

• Interstate issues pressing

• Front Range new supply project

Dropping Lake Powell & Lake Mead

Water Levels

Statewide Demand will Exceed Supply

Colorado Basin Concerns• Colorado Basin already has 100,000 AFY Agriculture shortage and is

predicted to lose 80,000 acres of irrigation by 2050

• Domestic water providers vulnerable to drought and compact call

from lack of storage above their intakes

• BOR study indicates shortage of 3.2 Million AF per year throughout 7

states using the Colorado River

• 64 critical river reaches are identified in Basin

• Planned Transbasin projects will divert additional 150,000 AFY from

Colorado River Basin (above 400-600,000 already diverted)

• Water quality issues in middle and lower Colorado River

• Desire to protect existing water users and basin water administration

Colorado River Transbasin Diversions

Region Specific Data

• Add BIP data specific to the region of the presentation

• Consider:

• Number of irrigated acres

• Population growth forecasts

• Pictures and discussion of common top water uses in region

• Regionally important agreements or project updates

How the Draft

Colorado BIP was

Written

Colorado River Basin Approach• Process guided by the Colorado Basin Roundtable

• Divided Basin into seven regions to better highlight regional

concerns and needs

• Primary focus on public outreach and input (town hall meetings,

interviews, newspaper articles, open roundtable meetings and work

groups, website, presentations to interest groups, etc.)

• Review Basin agreements, operations, and Roundtable Visioning

Documents

• Review public input and draft plan based on significant themes

• Basin leaders desired to create a plan to lead basin decision making

for the next 30 years, not just participate in a statewide plan

7 Regions

• Grand County

• Summit

• Eagle River

• State Bridge

Roaring

Fork

Middle

Colorado

Grand Valley

Eagle RiverSummit

State

Bridge

Grand

County

• Roaring Fork

• Middle Colorado

• Grand Valley

Public Outreach

• 45 public meetings across all regions with over 900 participants:

– Town Hall style presentations and comments were given in major regions

identified for the BIP

– Presented before interest groups: Trout Unlimited, Rotary (multiple groups),

County Commissioners, City/Town Council, Watershed groups, etc.

– Held bi-monthly roundtable meetings including BIP work group sessions

• Interviews Included: Water Providers, Water Attorneys, Division of

Water Resources, Roundtable Members, Colorado River District

and Conservancy Groups

• Published 18 articles in local newspapers

• Received over 500 completed water values surveys

Colorado Basin Documents

• Colorado Basin Roundtable White Paper & West Slope Principals

• Colorado River Cooperative Agreement

• Eagle River MOU

• Upper Colorado Study

• Windy Gap Firming Project IGA

• Grand County Stream Management Plan

• 15-Mile Reach PBO

BIP Findings

Six Common Themes

1. Protect & Restore Healthy Streams, Rivers, Lakes and

Riparian Areas

2. Sustain Agriculture

3. Secure Safe Drinking water

4. Develop Local Water Conscious Land Use Strategies

5. Assure Dependable Basin Administration

6. Encourage High Level Basinwide Conservation

Six Basin Themes and

Supporting Goals

• Themes and Goals will be used to prioritize and lead Basin water

projects

Six Basin Themes and

Supporting Goals

• Themes and Goals will be used to prioritize and lead Basin water

projects

Six Basin Themes and

Supporting Goals

• Themes and Goals will be used to prioritize and lead Basin water

projects

Themes and Goals

• Each Goal under the six Basin Themes were explained in the

following discussions:

– Measurable Outcomes (How the Basin will meet the goal in a quantifiable

manner)

– Short Term Needs (Specific action or improvement most desired to occur soon)

– Long Term Needs (Specific action or improvement desired but requires more

planning)

– Projects and Methods (Opportunities such as a structural or non-structural

project, policy or process to meet a goal)

Regional Differences

• Each region was highlighted in BIP

• 1-2 pages describing region characteristics

• 3 Maps detailing:

– Existing consumptive uses

– Environmental and Recreational Conditions

– Identified potential projects mentioned in BIP

• Top Regional Themes and Vulnerabilities

• First ever complete catalogue of potential regional projects

Water Provider Input

• Interviewed 31 water providers and received 27 completed water

provider questionnaires

• Most in-depth look at concerns and needs of water providers within

the Basin

• Developed a catalogue of forecasted demands and planned projects

to support them

Region Specific Findings

• Add BIP findings specific to the region of the presentation

• Consider adding:

– Top Regional Themes in BIP

– Top Projects as shown in the last column of theThemes and Vulnerabilities

table

– Include BIP map(s) of the region

BIP – NEXT STEPS

Finalizing BIP

• Identify top 25 Basin projects and develop project information

sheets for each

• Continue outreach to Basin Water Providers through interviews and

questionnaires with analysis of received responses

• Review and edit draft BIP text

• Maintain website, Facebook and twitter accounts with ongoing news

releases

• Final BIP to be submitted in April 2015

Implementing BIP

1. Develop a basinwide Stream Management Plan to protect and

restore nonconsumptive needs

2. Develop better Basin modeling

3. Resolve the need for future reservoirs

4. Examine the potentially acceptable conditions of a future

supply project out of the Colorado Basin (7 points)

5. Develop collective West Slope stances with other 4 west slope

basins

6. Support preparations for an uncertain climate future

Implementing BIP (cont’d)

7. Implement high conservations standards throughout Basin

8. Ensure the protection and maintenance of our agriculture

9. Create the connection of land use and water demand

10. Protect our Basin Administration (Specifically Shoshone and

Cameo Calls, while avoiding a Compact Call)

11. Determine reasonable calculated estimates of future water

supply in the Colorado River Basin

12. Plan and account for uncertainties in future water demands

We Still Need Your Feedback!

• Visit BIP Website at

– Download and read BIP from website

– Fill out a questionnaire

– Submit comments

– View online map with details on conditional and absolute water rights in

your region

• Like us on Facebook “Colorado Basin Implementation Plan”

• Follow us on Twitter “ColoBIP”

• Participate in the next Roundtable meeting