AGRIC GRICULTURE, C COLORADO W WATER PL PLANNIN ING & & The Technical Update to the COLORADO WATE R PLAN BECKY MITCHELL Colorado Water Conservation Board Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Annual Conference
CWCB Sections of the CWCB Water TAFF Supply STA Planning Watershed MGMT. & Flood • Und Under er 50 s 50 staff Protection • 6 S 6 Sec ections Stream Interstate & Lake & Federal Protection • Mi Mission: To Conserve, Develop, Protect Finance and Manage Colorado’s Water & Admin. for Present and Future Generations.
THE 1 2 3 A productive economy that Efficient A strong environment supports vibrant and sustainable cities, and effective with healthy watersheds, PLAN agriculture, recreation and tourism. water infrastructure. rivers, streams and wildlife.
RIPPLE CTS E FFE
MAKING PROGRE SS Since 2015, significant progress has been made on over 65% of Water Plan actions even though many of the goals extend through 2050. WA TERSHED ADDITIONAL SUPPL Y AGRICUL TURE FUNDING CONSERVA TION LAND USE STORAGE EDUCA TION Reduce the Support Sustainably Achieve Ensure 75 Attain Improve the Cover 80 Respond to projected 2050 agricultural fund the water 400,000 percent of 400,000 level of public percent of and prepare municipal and economic plan by raising acre-feet of Coloradoans acre-feet awareness all prioritized for natural industrial gap productivity $100 million municipal live in of water by 2020 watersheds disasters, form 560,000 and share in revenue and industrial water-saving storage to and engage and rivers climate acre-feet to 50,000 annually conservation communities manage Coloradoans with a change zero by 2030. acre-feet starting in of water by 2025. and share on key water Management and energy using 2020 ($3 by 2050. conserved challenges plan by needs while alternative billion by water by by 2030. 2030. protecting transfer 2050). 2050. interstate methods matters. by 2030.
W A TER PLAN NARIOS SCE NOTE: • Scenarios in the Water Plan were named and developed with the IBCC. • These represent equally plausible futures.
COLORADO W A TER YEAR 2018 74 ° F 16 67 RS BY THE NUMBE Number of All-time highest Number of 2” long-term minimum or larger hail 46 Days in a Row SNOTEL temperature reports made. stations that ever recorded That’s over Without any precipitation reported at Gateway reported at Trinidad twice as many from October 3 – November 17. low peak Perry Stokes as the average snowpack . Airport on of 26 reports. June 28. 450,000 Acre Feet of volume lost from Blue Mesa Reservoir – which 3 Wildfires 77.1 mph is almost half of it’s maximum capacity. Highest wind gust in cracked the top 10 list for the 64% Increase largest state wildfires on record. 30 years reported at The Spring Creek Fire, 416 and MM La Junta on April 17 . 117 fires burned more than In the percent of the state in severe drought 200,000 acres. from Oct 1 –Sept 30.
DROUGHT ACTIVATION “As of the date of this memorandum, the Colorado Drought Mitigation and Response Plan is in effect for Montezuma, La Plata, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Las Animas, Baca, Prowers, Bent, Otero, Huerfano, Alamosa, Rio Grande, Mineral, Hinsdale, San Juan, Dolores, San Miguel, Ouray, Montrose, Saguache, Custer, Pueblo, Crowley, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Lincoln, El Paso, Elbert, Gunnison, Mesa, Delta, Garfield, Rio Blanco counties.” -Governor Hickenlooper Drought Activation Memo May 2, 2018
9 COMPACTS + S 2 DE CRE E
DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANNING *This would be the water available at a full allocation of that 16.5MAF
CRITICAL ELEV A TIONS FOR AD LAKE ME Max Capacity* 1,219’ Current Level** 1,081’ Shortage Condition 1,075’ Minimum Power Pool 1,050’ Dead Pool 895’ *Lake Mead last approached full levels in 1986 **Level as of January 4, 2019
COLORADO RIVER BASIN DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN (DCP) DOCUME ME NTS AND A NT AGRE E ME NTS TS COMPANION AGREEMENT FEDERAL LEGISLATION L ower Basin DCP* Upper Basin DCP Drought Demand AZ CA NV Lower Basin DCP Operational Response Management Agreement Provisions Operations (DM) Storage Agreements Agreements Agreements Agreement Agreement • ICS Exhibits • • ICS Exhibits ICS Exhibits • Intra-State DCP • Intra-State DCP THIS I IS NOT OT A Agreements Agreements DM P PRO ROGRAM. • Legislation Creates free storage if a DM Program is created. *Activates Section IV of Minute 323 (Binational Water Scarcity Plan)
• Divides watershed into UB and LB Colorado River Compact • 7.5 MAF CU apportioned to UB & LB each (1922 - Perpetuity) • Requires UB to not cause the flow to be depleted at Lee Ferry below 75 MAF over ten year rolling average Upper Colorado • Colorado apportioned 51.57% of available consumptive use COMPACTS, AGREEMENTS River Basin Compact • Tasks the UCRC with determining volume of water each UB state AND ANY POSSIBLE (1948 - Perpetuity) must provide to comply with 75 MAF over 10 year rolling average FUTURE PROGRAMS ARE CONNE CTE D • Requires LB to take shortages • Coordinates reservoir operations to stabilize system Interim Guidelines Rights ts to to C Colorado • Secures UB right to release less from LP (2007 - 2026) • Avoids protracted litigation River er W Water er a and • Will be re-negotiated by 2026 Compact C t Compliance e • TEMPORARY plans to help prevent system crash (under er v variable e Drought Contingency if drought worsens Plans for the Lower • Allows states to control own destiny water er s supplies es) • Helps assure 07 IGs can operate until 2026 & Upper Basins • Avoids litigation (2019? - 2026) • Provides opportunity to identify best tools to continue UB compact compliance Upper Basin Demand • One potential tool made possible under UB DCP IF DEEMED FEASIBLE Management Program • Only advances if each UB State agrees to terms and conditions (?)
VOLUNTARY , TEMPORARY & D COMPE NSATE
STATE SUPPORT FOR TARGE TE D BASIN PLANNING • Support the values in the water plan • Avoid creating winners and losers. • Find creative solutions (smart planning can help). • Integrate Water Plan Analysis and Goals into BIPs.
W A TER PLAN ANAL YSIS OUTPUTS Case e Studi udies es • Storage Opportunities • Alternative Transfer Methods • Water Reuse Tool ools • Data Visualization • Project Costing Tool Data, D Driver ers a s and nd I Impacts • Climate Impacts and Scenarios • Municipal, Ag and Environmental Data • Population and Urbanization Changes
Comparison to SWSI 2010 Projections Statewide Population - Baseline and Projections SWSI 2010 High Population SWSI 2010 Medium Population SWSI 2010 Low Population *SWSI 2010 projection is shown adjusted for 2015 to compare to SWSI Update Baseline. 12,000,000 10,000,000 8,000,000 Population 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000,000 - SWSI BASELINE SWSI UPDATE 2050 PROJECTIONS
Geographic Comparisons by Water Plan Scenario Urban Center to Mtn. Resort Counties Comparison: Normalized to Business as Usual 1.4 1.3 Per SDO 2017 Forecast 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 Business as Usual Weak Economy Cooperative Growth Adaptive Innovation Hot Growth Mtn Resort Counties Urban Center Counties All Other Counties
TH E CO LO RA D O WATE R PLAN Sets an objective that agricultural economic productivity will keep pace with the growing state, national and global needs, even if some acres go out of production. The state will work closely with the agricultural community , in the same collaborative manner that has produced agricultural transfer pilot projects. To s sha hare e at l least 50,000 a 000 acre-feet o of a agr gricultural water u using g voluntary alter ernative t e transfer er m method b by 203 030 .
ALTERNA TIVE TRANSFER THODS ME • ATM = Alternative Transfer Methods • Methods to share agricultural water to supply other uses, without permanently transferring the water rights from the farm or ranch • Voluntary, flexible, minimizes third party impacts, net benefits, fits need of parties
WATER PLAN GRANT FUNDING Water Plan Grant Category FY 17/18 FY 18/19 FY 19/20 WSRF Supplemental Funding $10M $2M $2.5M CO Watershed Restoration Program $5M $2M $4M Agricultural Transfer Methods (ATM) Grants $1M* $1M Agricultural Projects Water Plan Grants $1M $1M $1M Conservation & Land Use Planning Water Plan Grants $1M $1M $1M Environment/Recreation Water Plan Grants $1M $1.5M $1.5M Innovation/Outreach Water Plan Grants $5M $0.5M $0.5M Storage & Supply Gap Water Plan Grants $1M $3M $3M Water Plan Updating Efforts $1M $5.5M OVE R TOTAL $25M $11M $20M = $56 M *ATM grants were not calculated into the original $25M package in FY 17/18 .
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