Bill Summary for Bill Number Overview of the Second Draft of the Colorado Water Plan

Date: 08/11/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for Overview of the Second Draft of the Colorado Water Plan

WATER RESOURCES REVIEW COMMITTEE

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06:16 PM -- Overview of the Second Draft of the Colorado Water Plan

Rebecca Mitchell, Water Supply Planning Section Chief, Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), introduced herself and presented information on the second draft of the state water plan. She gave the history of the state water plan, which was requested of the CWCB by Governor Hickenlooper in May of 2013. She explained that the CWCB has drafted the plan with attention to the values stated in the executive order authorizing the plan. The most recent draft of the state water plan, the second draft, was released on July 7, 2015. The final plan will be released on December 10, 2015, and members of the public are requested to provide feedback by September 17, 2015, in order to allow feedback to be included in preparation of the final plan.

06:20 PM

Ms. Mitchell listed sections of the plan that she considered to be of interest to persons in the Arkansas River Basin. These included Sections 6.2, 6.3.3, 6.5, 9.4, and 9.5, as well as Chapters 7, 8, and 10. Ms. Mitchell explained that Chapter 10, concerning the critical action plan, contains about 80 critical actions that will require the participation of federal, state, and local partners. These actions were selected to support seven themes identified by the CWCB during its preparation of the state plan. She also explained that Chapter 10 includes a timeline for completion of each action, which the CWCB views as proactive and realistic. She encouraged members of the public to submit comments via the CWCB's online feedback form, or by email, by September 17.

06:28 PM

Senator Roberts explained that the committee is visiting sites in each major river basin in the state in order to gather feedback on the state plan. She thanked committee members for their participation in the Senate Bill 14-115 hearing process. She also explained that the committee will consider introducing legislation to address concerns raised by members of the public at these meetings. She also acknowledged and thanked staff for their service.