Water Resources Review Committee (08/10/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

WATER RESOURCES REVIEW COMMITTEE

Date:	08/10/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	02:03 PM to 04:54 PM	Arndt	X
		Baumgardner	X
Place:	Inn at the Rio Grande, Alamosa CO	Becker J.	E
		Coram	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Hodge	X
	Senator Roberts	Jones	X
		Mitsch Bush	X
This Report was prepared by		Sonnenberg	E
	David Beaujon	Vigil	X
		Roberts	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Call to Order and Announcements Video Overview of the Rio Grande Basin Overview of the Rio Grande Basin Hydrology and Division Engineer's Update Data Collection for Improved Forecasting in the Rio Grande Basin Groundwater Management in the Rio Grande Basin Water Education in the Rio Grande Basin Watershed Health, Restoration, and Protection West Fork Complex Fire Recovery and Forest Plan Revision Concluding Remarks Concerning the Rio Grande Basin Public Testimony Requests for Draft Legislation		- - - - - - - - - - -

02:02 PM -- Call to Order and Announcements

Senator Roberts, Chair of the Water Resources Review Committee called the meeting to order and the members of the committee introduced themselves and identified water issues of interest to them.

02:14 PM -- Video Overview of the Rio Grande Basin

Heather Dutton, Executive Director, Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project and Assistant Manager of the San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District, played a video about the Rio Grande Basin that discussed the basin's agricultural economy and identified the basin's water resources, water supply challenges, and proposed water development projects.

02:26 PM -- Overview of the Rio Grande Basin Hydrology and Division Engineer's Update

Craig Cotten, Division Engineer for Water Division 3, Division of Water Resources, identified the rivers and aquifers in Rio Grande Basin and discussed the water supply challenges affecting water users in the Rio Grande Basin. He explained how the Rio Grande and Costilla Creek Compacts affect water use in the basin. He identified areas in the basin under surface water and ground water irrigation and explained how groundwater use is affecting aquifers in the basin. He identified interstate litigation concerning water use in the Rio Grande Basin and identified endangered species that rely on water from the Rio Grande including the Southwest Willow Fly Catcher and the Yellow Billed Cookoo. He also discussed water use by illegal marijuana grow operations and the challenge of protecting legal water users from water depletions caused by the grow operations. He also responded to questions from the committee about water use by the illegal marijuana grow operations and water administration to comply with interstate compacts.

02:47 PM -- Data Collection for Improved Forecasting in the Rio Grande Basin

Nathan Coombs, General Manager, Conejos Water Conservancy District, discussed the need for improved water supply forecasting to better administer water rights in the Rio Grande Basin and to satisfy interstate compacts. He also identified methods for improving water supply forecasting including expanded use of radar to determine local snowfall amounts, and discussed the need for additional stream gauges and improved modeling.

03:01 PM -- Groundwater Management in the Rio Grande Basin

Dick Wolfe, State Engineer, Division of Water Resources, identified the number of high capacity wells in the Rio Grande Basin and explained how these wells may affect groundwater levels and streamflows in the basin. He explained that a law passed in 2004 (Senate Bill 04-222) requires the State Engineer to manage the use of ground water consistent with the prevention of material injury to senior surface water rights in the basin. It also requires the state engineer to maintain a sustainable ground water supply and preserve the state's ability to comply with the Rio Grande compact. Mr. Wolfe identified measures taken by the Division of Water Resources and local water entities to implement the 2004 law. Specifically, the division developed a ground water model to assess the impact of ground water pumping on senior water rights and to help administer water rights in the Rio Grande Basin. It also drafted rules to regulate groundwater withdrawals in the basin and identified alternatives methods to protect senior water rights from the impacts of groundwater pumping including augmentation plans to offset pumping depletions, participation in subdistrict of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, substitute water supply plan, and ceasing groundwater pumping altogether. He also identified additional steps that must occur before the rules take effect, including approval by the Water Court.

03:15 PM

Steve Vandiver, General Manager, Rio Grande Water Conservation District, discussed the formation of Subdistrict No.1 of the RGWCD and identified well use within the district for irrigation. He also identified measures to stabilize groundwater levels in the subdistrict including retirement of irrigated acres and groundwater recharge. Currently, Subdistrict No. 1 is the only subdistrict in the San Luis Valley that is operating under an approved groundwater management plan and annual replacement plan that is remedying injurious stream depletions. He identified other areas of the Rio Grande Basin where subdistricts of the RGWCD are being developed. He also responded to questions from the committee about the economic impact of land fallowing on the local community and weed management on fallowed lands.

03:33 PM -- Water Education in the Rio Grande Basin

Judy Lopez, Conservation Education Specialist, Rio Grande Watershed Conservation and Education Initiative, discussed the mission of the initiative and identified water education programs it operates in the Rio Grande Basin including field trips and tours, youth conservation camps, and project learning. She also identified education programs for adults including a program to promote the viability of agriculture and focus on its long-term sustainability through soil health.

03:40 PM -- Watershed Health, Restoration, and Protection

Heather Dutton, Executive Director, Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project and Assistant Manager, San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District, distributed an executive summary of the Rio Grande Basin Basin Implementation Plan (Attachment A). She explained that the Rio Grande watershed in Colorado covers 8,200 square miles. The Rio Grande Headwaters Project area includes the 200 miles of the Rio Grande Corridor in Colorado, including the 20-mile reach of the South Fork of the Rio Grande. She also identified types of forests in the Rio Grande Basin and threats to these forests including insects and wildfires. She also explained how forest health can affect watersheds and water quality. She also identified riparian restoration projects to reduce soil erosion, improve water availability, improve habitat, and to improve water quality. She also identified water source protection projects including the cleanup of abandoned mines and forest management.

Attachment A.pdf

03:50 PM -- West Fork Complex Fire Recovery and Forest Plan Revision

Tom Spezze, Executive Director, Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team (RWEACT) – Watershed Initiative, distributed a handout concerning the Watershed Initiative (Attachment B) and discussed REACT's activities. RWEACT was created to mitigate the impact of the 109,000 acre West Fork Fire that occurred in 2013 and address 485,000 acres of insect infested forest in the Rio Grande National Forest that are at risk of burning and further impacting watersheds in the Rio Grande Basin. He explained that REACT installed radar facilities and rain gauges to forecast floods in fire impacted areas and promoted hazardous tree removal around campsites and other facilities. REACT also funded a a study to determine the feasibility of biomass facility to improve forest health and reduce the threat of wildland fire. He also discussed role of REACT in the revision of the Forest Plan for the Rio Grande National Forest and responded to questions from the committee about state funding for REACT activities and measures to improve forest health and reduce the threat of wildland fires.

Attachment B.pdf

04:08 PM

Dan Dallas, Forest Supervisor, Rio Grande National Forest, estimated that 50 percent of the Rio Grande National Forest has been impacted by insects. He identified insect-impacted areas of the Rio Grande National Forest that are open to logging and areas that are inaccessible due to wilderness designation or lack roads or other difficult terrain. He also responded to questions from the committee about federal resources for forest health programs, cooperation between federal, state, local, and private interests to improve forest health, the effect of federal budget reductions on federal forest management projects, and the USFS budget for fire suppression.

04:31 PM -- Concluding Remarks Concerning the Rio Grande Basin

Travis Smith, Manager of the San Luis Valley Irrigation District and Rio Grande Representative on Colorado Water Conservation Board, identified attendees of this meeting who serve on local water district boards, the Rio Grand Basin Roundtable, and other governmental entities. He also identified the sites visited by the Water Resources Review Committee in the Rio Grande Basin during the morning of July 20 and summarized testimony provided during the committee meeting. He also responded to questions from the committee about water management in the Rio Grande Basin including the Rio Grande Cooperative Project and water stored in Home Lake that is owned by the Division of Parks and Wildlife.

04:35 PM

Lewis H. Entz, former state legislator from the San Luis Valley, responded to questions from the committee about water owned by the Division of Parks and Wildlife that is stored in Home Lake Reservoir and the management of water levels in facility.

04:37 PM

Tony Aloia, Property Technician and Water Resources Manager, Division of Parks and Wildlife, responded to questions from the committee about the management of water levels in Home Lake Reservoir.

04:40 PM -- Public Testimony

Rio De La Vista, Vice Chair, Rio Grande Basin Roundtable, thanked the committee for supporting the basin roundtable process and discussed the water management objectives of the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable. She also identified projects recommended by the Rio Grand Basin Roundtable that were awarded moneys from the Colorado Water Supply Reserve Fund that is administered by the Colorado Water Conservation Board,

04:46 PM

Thomas McCracken, Green Earth, Inc., explained that he is a surface water user in the San Luis Valley and expressed concern about ground water management in the Rio Grande Basin and its impact on senior surface water rights owners. He also requested that compensation be paid for injurious depletions to surface water users in the Rio Grande Basin.

04:52 PM -- Requests for Draft Legislation

Senator Jones explained how the federal government pays for fire suppression on federal lands from moneys appropriated for forest management. He moved that a resolution be drafted to encourage Congress to fund fire suppression separately from forest management similar to a resolution adopted by the Natural Resources and Infrastructure Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures. The motion passed without objection.

04:54 PM

The meeting adjourned.