Southwest Basin Roundtable

In Oct 2018, the Roundtable formed the Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) Demand Management Subcommittee to provide feedback on the investigation of any program to reduce consumptive use (a.k.a. demand management) in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The first meeting was held on November 6 (see documents below), with another soon to follow in late November, early December (TBD). Please see other relevant documents below:

DCP-DM Subcommittee Mtg 11-6-18
DCP-DM Mtg Agenda
DCP-DM Padgett Powerpoint
DCP-DM Harris Flowchart
DCP-DM SWCD Handout

CWCB Communications
CWCB DCP Policy Adopted 11-15-18
DCP Draft Agreements 10-8-18
Demand Management in the Water Plan
DCP Memo by CWCB 9-19-18
Recording: CWCB Mtg 9-19-18
News on CWCB Sept Meeting
DCP Outreach Presentation 10-9-18
Webinar: DCP Rollout 10-9-18

Statewide Perspectives
SWCD, River District DCP Ltr to CWCB
Resolution Proposed by SWCD, River District
Webinar: River District Aug 2018
Video: Mueller, River District 9-14-18
SW Basin Roundtable DCP Input 9-19-18
DCP Front Range Water Council Ltr
Other DCP West Slope Ltrs to CWCB
La Plata County Ltr to CWCB
Montezuma County Ltr to CWCB
Hinsdale County Ltr to CWCB
Dolores County Ltr to CWCB

Federal Perspective
Link to U.S. Bureau of Reclamation DCP Page

La Plata County has posted excellent information regarding preparedness for floods after fires.

Colorado Watershed Restoration Grant program on a rolling basis for areas affected by fire in 2018 in order to better align the program to the current needs. The regular application deadline is November 2, 2018.  Grant money can be used for planning and engineering studies, including implementation measures, to address technical needs for watershed restoration and flood mitigation projects throughout the state.

Check out this comprehensive fact sheet for Drought Financial Assistance opportunities, as well as this DOLA summary for water and wastewater treatment funding assistance.

USDA has also announced a funding opportunity for rural water infrastructure projects.

At the Joint West Slope Roundtables meeting in December 2014, it was clear that stakeholders needed basin-specific data to inform local water management. Since then, the Southwestern Water Conservation District, the Colorado River Water Conservation District, and the four West Slope Roundtables have undertaken a three-phased study to assess threats to Western Slope water development from basinwide constraints such as Lake Powell critical elevations and compact curtailment. Phases I and II of the study have been completed (see below), with Phase III currently underway.

Executive Summary: Risk Study Phase I and II
Presentation: Risk Study Phase I & II
Final Report: Risk Study Phase I
Final Report: Risk Study Phase II Task 1
Final Report: Risk Study Phase II Task 2

At the July 11 meeting, the Roundtable passed the following resolution in support of Phase III of the Colorado River Risk Assessment Study:

SWBRT Phase III Risk Study Resolution 7-11-18

Update: Due to a decline in revenues, as of April 2018, the Southwest Basin Roundtable adopted the following changes to their consideration of funding requests:

1. WSRF proposals will only be considered for funding approval in July and January which aligns with the schedule for consideration of Statewide funding requests.
2. WSRF Basin funding requests will be limited to $25K so as to be able to cover more requests while WSRF funds remain scarce.
3. There is $7 million in additional funding in the Projects Bill for the Water Plan Implementation grant categories.  These requests do not require Roundtable approval but benefit from a letter of support signed by the Roundtable Chair.
4. Concept Proposals are welcome at all Roundtable meetings, as a step towards a full WSRF proposal (January and July), and to present a Water Plan Implementation Grant proposal for which a letter of support from the Chair will be requested.

For WSRF grant applicants, please complete the following questionnaire and submit it with your application:

• SW Basin Roundtable Criteria and Questionnaire
• BIP Executive Summary
• Excerpt of SW BIP Goals and Measurable Outcomes

The fllowing checklist and flowchart are for your reference:

• WSRF Checklist and Flowchart

Below are the January 10 funding workshop presentations and materials for your reference:

• CWCB Grant Program
• Bureau of Reclamation WaterSmart Grant Program
• SWCD Grant Program Webpage
• SWCD Grant Program FAQs

For the full application and instructions please visit the CWCB website. CWCB will only accept the most recent application form available at this link. For more information or questions, contact Roundtable Chair Mike Preston, 970-565-7562, [email protected], or CWCB Liaision Megan Holcomb, [email protected], 303-866-3441 x 3222.

Additional water project funding is available through the CWCB, including the Water Plan Grant Program and Watershed Restoration Program. Visit the CWCB website for the full list of funding opportunities.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs also provides financial assistance for water and wastewater treatment. Please see this resource for available options.

Click here for the most recent Water Supply Reserve Fund Balance. Look to the right of the webpage under “Additional Information.” It is the first choice and will be updated anytime these balances change. To review final reports for past WSRF grant projects, please see the CWCB website. Select “Southwest” under Basin Roundtable and “Final Deliverable Documents” under Document Type. In addition, CWCB prepares a general WSRF report on an annual basis, which is now available for state FY2017. These reports are posted on the WSRF homepage.

The Southwest Basin Roundtable has been involved in the development of the Colorado Water Plan, which was finalized in December 2015. You can read the full document online or watch a short video covering themes from the plan. To download the most recent fact sheet or watch a webinar, visit coloradowaterplan.com.

Walk through the water plan with this online story map!

As part of the water plan process, the Roundtable developed a strategy just for our area, the Basin Implementation Plan. The following are additional area-specific documents for your reference:

• Southwest Basin Implementation Plan
• Education Action Plan 2016-2018
• Identified Projects and Processes (IPP) List

Would you like your project to be on the IPP list?

• Becoming an IPP
• Basin Implementation Plan & IPP Map & Overview
• Southwest Colorado Statement of Importance

In early 2018, the following status update was provided to the Roundtable:

• Basin Implementation Plan Status Report 2017

Missed the Stream Management Planning Workshop? Catch up here:

• SMP Workshop Agenda
• Sturm Presentation (part 1)
• Seltzer Presentation (Part 1)
• Shanahan Presentation (Part 1)
• Kugel Presentation (Part 1)
• Goals and Approaches for SMPs (handout for Part 2)
• Stream ecosystem condition assessment (handout for Part 2)
• Watershed Management Planning in the Upper Gunnision River Basin (handout)

Regarding SMP efforts in southwestern Colorado, here is the March 2018 Draft San Miguel Environmental & Recreational Needs Assessment.

Missed the winter 2018 Colorado Ag Water Alliance workshops? Check out the presentations below:

• CAWA Southwest Agenda
• Piping and Lining Ditches Presenation by Mike Cleary
• Strategies for Water Scarcity in the Grand Valley Presentation by Luke Gingerich
• Use It or Lose it Presentation by Kevin Rein
• What do Colorado Ag Producers Think about Ag Water Leasing Presentation by Phil Brink

As of July 2018, Roundtable leadership team is Mike Preston (Chair), Ed Tolen (First Vice-Chair), Brandon Johnson (Second Vice-Chair), Steve Harris (IBCC Representative), Bruce Whitehead (IBCC Representative), and Mely Whiting (IBCC Alternate Representative).

• Roundtable Member List (Nov 2018)
• Roundtable Bylaws (Amended July 2018)
• Meeting Summary 7-11-18
• Meeting Summary 4-11-18
• Meeting Summary 1-10-18
• Meeting Summary 10-11-17

To learn more about the Roundtable or to be added to the mailing list, please contact Roundtable Chair Mike Preston, 970-565-7562, [email protected] and Recorder Laura Spann, 970-247-1302 [email protected]. You can also sign up for the CWCB Confluence Newsletter or the Water Info Program Newsletter!