HomeMy WebLinkAbout07 July 2015 packetAgenda items are subject to change – Times are approximate and are also subject to change
Time Description
4:00 PM Board Comment
Public Comment
Additions – Deletions to Agenda
Approval of minutes - May21, 2015 & June 18, 2015
4:15 PM • Wild and Scenic Update - Bill Jochems
Request for updated letter of support
4:30 PM • Watershed Summit – Ruedi Water and Power Authority
Seeking interest in sponsorships
4:45PM • Water Park Discussions
Jason Carey - Riverrestoration.org
(no packet materials)
5:30 PM • Colorado Water Trust
Request for funding
6:15 PM • Open Discussion
6:30 PM • Adjourn
Future meeting dates 2015
Aug 20, Sept 17, Oct 15, Nov 19
Minutes –Healthy Rivers and Streams Citizens Advisory Board May 21, 2015 Page 1
HEALTHY RIVERS AND STREAMS CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD
Meeting Minutes
530 E. Main St Plaza 1 Aspen, CO
May 21, 2015– 4:00 p.m.
River Board members present: Ruthie Brown, Lisa Tasker, Ellie Taylor, Bill Jochems,
Greg Poschman
River Board members absent: Andre Wille
Others present: Lisa MacDonald, John Ely
Board Comments: Ms. Taylor and Ms. Tasker updated the Board on the River Rally they attending in New Mexico.
Public Comment: None
Additions/Deletions to Agenda: None
Approval of the Minutes: Ms. Brown moved to approve the minutes of April 16, 2015. Mr. Poschman seconded the
motion. The motion passed 6/0.
GIS Update – Mary Lackner briefed the Board on the GIS mapping interviews and presented the summary of work to
date. Discussions ensued about next steps.
Open Discussion - None
Ms. Brown moved to enter into Executive Session pursuant to C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(b) regarding river protection
strategies. Ms. Tasker seconded the motion. The motion passed 6/0.
The Board adjourned at approximately 6:20 p.m.
Approved: Attest:
Dave Nixa – Vice Chairman Lisa MacDonald
Healthy Rivers Board
Minutes –Healthy Rivers and Streams Citizens Advisory Board June 18, 2015 Page 1
HEALTHY RIVERS AND STREAMS CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD
Meeting Minutes
530 E. Main St Plaza 1 Aspen, CO June 18, 2015– 4:00 p.m.
River Board members present: Andre Wille, Ruthie Brown, Lisa Tasker, Elle Taylor, Bill Jochems,
Greg Poschman
River Board members absent: None
Others present: Lisa MacDonald, John Ely, Laura Makar
Board Comments: Mr. Jochems updated the Board on the 2015 Martz Summer Conference he attended in Boulder.
Mr. Nixa updated the Board on sub-committee meetings with Open Space Board members
Ms. Taylor discussed possible watershed fellowship programs.
Public Comment: None
Additions/Deletions to Agenda: None
North Star Management Plan Update - Gary Tennenbaum, Assistant Director Open Space and Trails
Mr. Tennenbaum provided the Board with the latest updates to the North Star Management Plan. Changes
included suggestions provided in the Board’s public comments provided in its letters dated June 4 and June
5, 2015.
Roaring Fork Conservancy – Riparian Vegetation Education Campaign funding request
Heather Lewin with the Roaring Fork Conservancy requested a $5000 grant from the Healthy Rivers fund for work
on a riparian vegetation education campaign throughout the watershed. Discussions ensued about the best practice
to reach homeowners.
Chairman Wille moved to approve the funding request with the following conditions:
1. Follow-up to the River Board about progress including a progress report at the end of the year.
2. Have pamphlets for specific targeted businesses such as landscaping architects & landscape companies and
contractors.
3. Expand the program in upcoming years.
Mr. Nixa seconded the motion. The motion passed 6/1 with Ms. Brown against.
Ken Ransford CPA/Attorney and water expert in the Roaring Fork Valley gave a presentation on his work
in progress, a book with observations on Colorado water policy, river health and conservation issues
especially pertinent during the formation of the Colorado Water Plan.
Open Discussion
Mr. Jochems discussed additional staffing.
Ms. Taylor discussed project options along Sopris Creek.
Ms. Brown moved to enter into Executive Session pursuant to C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(b) regarding river protection
strategies. Mr. Jochems seconded the motion. The motion passed 7/0.
The Board adjourned at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Approved: Attest:
Andre Wille Chairman Lisa MacDonald
530 East Main Street, Suite 302 Aspen, Colorado 81611 970.920.5190 pitkincounty.com/healthyrivers
July 16, 2015
Chairman Steve Child
Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners
530 East Main St Third Floor
Aspen, CO 81611
RE: Wild and Scenic Designation of the Crystal River
Dear Chairman Child:
The Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Board is in support of the Wild and Scenic River
designation for the Main Stem of the Crystal River from its headwaters in the
Maroon Bells- Snowmass Wilderness area to a point just above the Sweet Jessup
Ditch.
We request Congress and appropriate federal, state, local and water conservation
district officials to act toward achieving this designation in order to protect, in
perpetuity, the water quality and quantity of the Crystal River in its free flowing
condition while maintaining the river’s ranching heritage, sustaining the river’s
diverse fish and wildlife habitat, its remarkable cultural, historical, and scenic
values, and protecting its diverse recreational uses. This designation will ensure the
Crystal remains a free-flowing, healthy and natural river with no dams or diversions
out of the watershed.
PITKIN COUNTY HEALTHY RIVERS AND
STREAMS CITIZEN ADVISORY BOARD
Sincerely,
Andre Willie, Chairman
Agenda Item Summary
July 16, 2015
TO: River Board
FROM: Mark Fuller Ruedi Water and Power Authority
SUBJECT: Watershed Summit sponsor request
Information:
Below is a request seeking a sponsorship for a Watershed Summit from Mark Fuller –
Ruedi Water and Power Authority.
Hi all, I have been authorized by the RWAPA Board to put together a watershed-wide
planning meeting for this fall aimed at reassessing the Roaring Fork Watershed Plan and
the Roaring Fork Water Regional Efficiency Plan and mapping out specific implementation
measures that can be taken either collectively or by individual jurisdictions, organizations,
etc. I have sketched out a rough agenda and logistical outline which I have attached. I am
aiming for a date of October 22. I am contacting you today to request your response to the
following:
1. Please let me know if this is a meeting/workshop in which you would participate. I
would like to get a feel for breadth of interest and level of commitment before I get too far
into the planning process.
2. Is this an activity that you or your organization would be interested in sponsoring, either
by a contribution towards logistical costs or donation of services? I would like to have the
meeting professionally facilitated which could cost up to $1,500 if services are not donated.
I estimate other costs (refreshments, room rental, other supplies) to be $500+ depending
on numbers attending. RWAPA will handle the organizational elements but it would be
great to have co-sponsors to both defray costs and add credibility.
3. Do you have any comments or suggestions regarding invitee list, agenda, format, timing,
etc.? I want this meeting to be oriented towards practical results with identified
expectations and implementation strategies, including where and how funding and other
resources should be targeted. An ideal outcome would be a set of project/program goals to
be pursued by identified responsible parties over an identified timeframe (1 year, 5 years,
etc) with a follow-up meeting or meetings scheduled to check on future progress. I would
expect to provide ‘homework’ in advance in the form of condensed versions of the
Watershed Plan and the Regional Efficiency Plan so that participants could come to the
meeting with a basic understanding of those Plans’ findings and recommendations already
in mind.
Requested Board Action – Commit to sponsorship
Attachments
Draft agenda for Summit
“The Confluence”
Watershed Summit
A One-Day Workshop on Watershed Plan Implementation Strategies
1. Invitees
Utility and Water District Managers
Non-Governmental or Quasi-Governmental Reps
o Colorado River District
o Roaring Fork Conservancy
o US Forest Service
o Bureau of Reclamation
o State of Colorado (Div. of Water Resources, CWCB, Dept of Health, Parks and
Wildlife)
o NRCS (Soil Conservation Service)
o ACES
o CORE
o Others?
Government Decision-makers
o County Commissioners
o Town Councils
o State Legislators
o Key Staffers
Individual Stakeholders and Activists
o Ditch Companies and major irrigators
o Recreation Reps (fly fishing, rafting)
o Foundation Reps (Walton, Manaus, Ski Co, others)
o Watershed Collaborative Steering Committee
2. Logistics
Location
o 3rd St. Center
Timing
o Mid-Late October
o Mid-Week
o 9 AM- 3:30 PM
Other Considerations
o Audio-Visual
o Food (Serve Breakfast coffee/carbs/fruit & Pizza lunch?)
o Professional Facilitation ?
o Cost (up to $2000 for food, venue and facilitation)
o Sponsors?
o Anticipated participation – 30-40 FTE
3. Format
Opening Statement/Goal Setting
Morning Break-out groups – Re-examining the Plans
o Jurisdictional Issues
o Projects (Short-term and limited)
o Policies (Guidance and goal-setting for regulators, govt, managers)
o Programs (Long-term, interactive, broad application)
Presentation of findings and recommendations
Prioritization Exercise
Lunch (speaker/presentation?)
Afternoon Break-out groups – Implementing the Plans
o Resources (funding, partnerships, building on the work of others)
o Political support (local, state and federal programs and obstacles)
o Responsibilities (who will do what)
Presentation of Findings and recommendations
Wrap-Up and Next Steps (Progress reports, follow-up meetings?)
June 17, 2015
Pitkin County Healthy Rivers and Streams Board
Courthouse Plaza
530 E. Main St, 3rd Floor
Aspen, CO 81611
Dear Members of the Board,
The Colorado Water Trust respectfully requests time on the agenda for
July 16, 2015 to share with you our project proposal to restore
streamflows in a critical reach of the Roaring Fork River.
The Colorado Water Trust is strategically positioned with three
different opportunities that can work together to help restore essential
flows in the Roaring Fork. The project is innovative, collaborative, and
will demonstrate to other water users throughout the state how their
rivers and communities can benefit from similar partnerships.
We invite the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board to partner with us on
this project with a grant $35,000. The total budget for the project is
approximately $70,000. We have already received match funding from
the Colorado Water Conservation Board and are in conversations with
the Bonneville Environmental Foundation and the Environment
Foundation for further support.
Attached please find our project description and proposal.
Thank you for considering investing in the Colorado Water Trust to
help us restore and protect the Roaring Fork River, Pitkin County’s
most precious water resource.
Warmest regards,
Amy Beatie
Executive Director
Colorado Water Trust - 2015 Healthy Rivers and Streams Grant Application
Date: June 17, 2015
Project Title: Roaring Fork Flow Restoration
Project Location: Roaring Fork River, Aspen, Colorado
Grant Request: $35,000
Contact Person: Amy Beatie, Executive Director, Colorado Water Trust
abeatie@coloradowatertrust.org | 720-570-2897
Background Information for the Project:
For decades, large diversions have reduced the amount of water flowing in the upper Roaring Fork River
in Pitkin County. Only a fraction of the native flow reaches the City of Aspen (the “City”) and at times,
more than ninety percent of the water is diverted for delivery to the Front Range and other beneficial uses.
Streamflows on the Roaring Fork are impaired in dry and average years, particularly through the City,
where flows often dip below 32 cfs—the decreed instream flow level for sustaining a healthy ecosystem.
Filling a big hole in a troubled river requires multiple angles, multiple sources of water, and multiple tools
to the rescue. The Colorado Water Trust is strategically positioned with three different opportunities that
can work together to help restore streamflows in the Roaring Fork River.
Wheeler NDA
In 2013, the Aspen City Council partnered with the Colorado Water Trust on a one-year non-diversion
agreement (“Wheeler NDA”) for the City-owned Wheeler Ditch to improve streamflow conditions on a
section of river in the middle of town—from the Wheeler Ditch, located near the east edge of town, down
to the Rio Grande Park. Throughout the summer months, regular measurements were made of river stage
and temperature. Through this process, when the water level in the river fell below 32 cfs (the amount of
the decree for the local instream flow), the City reduced the Wheeler Ditch diversions to keep water in the
river. As a result of these collaborative efforts between the City and the Colorado Water Trust, in the
summer of 2013 the Roaring Fork saw an increase of about 2 to 3 cfs—roughly ten percent of average
streamflow in 2013—in the reach of river that flows through town from mid-July through the end of the
irrigation season.
During the 2014 irrigation year, the Colorado Water Trust and the City extended the Wheeler NDA for
another year. Despite 2014 being a great snow year in the Roaring Fork Valley, the City again needed to
implement the NDA as the instream flow dropped below 32 cfs in August. Thanks to the actions of the
City, flows were again improved, keeping enough water in the river for fish to migrate while maintaining
the water needs of the City.
Due to the success of this unique arrangement, the Colorado Water Trust and the City are eager to
implement a longer-term solution to bolster the streamflows of the Roaring Fork River. A few months
ago, the Colorado Water Trust proposed to the City a ten-year agreement to continue to use the Wheeler
Ditch to improve flows. This project would involve enrolling the water right in the Colorado Water
Trust’s Senate Bill 19 program. Senate Bill 19 protects water rights used for conservation purposes from
the penalties commonly imposed when water is not diverted to its maximum extent—penalties that have
been assessed against water rights under Colorado water law for more than a century. The long-term
Wheeler NDA will allow for continued streamflow improvements on the Roaring Fork, while providing a
safe harbor for the decrease of water use by the City, for five out of the next ten years. The City
responded enthusiastically to the suggestion and we are working on moving the project forward.
Grizzly Water and the Exchange
In addition to the Wheeler NDA, we were made aware of two other opportunities, thanks to the Colorado
River Water Conservation District and the City, that would further bolster streamflows on the Roaring
Fork. One includes approximately 800 acre-feet of water from the Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal
Company and subsequent agreements (the “Grizzly Water”). The other is a 3,000 acre-feet exchange of
Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water which can be used for flow restoration purposes (the “Exchange”).
Pursuant to the stipulation with Twin Lakes to use the Grizzly Water, the first 40-acre feet of water
obtained is to be held in a mitigation account in Grizzly Reservoir for subsequent release to enhance
flows in the Roaring Fork during the late irrigation season. The remaining water is to be stored either in
Grizzly Reservoir in a Colorado River Water Conservation District account (up to 200 acre-feet) or held
in East Slope storage for substitution or bookover. That water is meant for environmental and water
marketing purposes. In cooperation with and with the blessing of the City and the River District, the
Colorado Water Trust will investigate how to best use this water to enhance streamflows in the Roaring
Fork River.
The Exchange is water that comes from a number of agreements, and generally provides for up to 3,000
acre-feet of water to be delivered in exchange for equivalent bypasses from the headwaters of the Roaring
Fork River that would otherwise be delivered through the Independence Pass Transmountain Diversion
System. In partnership with the Colorado River District, the Colorado Water Trust will investigate how to
protect the Exchange for flow restoration purposes.
These three opportunities together, the Wheeler NDA, the Grizzly Water, and the Exchange, will create a
robust and sustainable solution to bolster instream flows on the Roaring Fork River. One project alone
could provide some water to the dry section of river, but the three together will work collectively to keep
the Roaring Fork flowing over the next ten years and beyond.
Alignment with the Goals of the Healthy Rivers Board
These projects meet the goals of the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board by working to secure minimum
flows in the Roaring Fork River using three different sources. This will in turn improve the water quality
and quantity in the river during times of stress, enhancing the ecological health, recreational
opportunities, and wildlife and riparian habitat on this important Pitkin County river for many years to
come. In addition to benefiting Pitkin County, the Wheeler NDA in particular will protect the value of the
City’s water right and enrollment in the Senate Bill 19 program could incentivize others to use their water
rights to augment low flows—and not be penalized. Furthermore, the Wheeler NDA implements an
innovative and collaborative approach that can be replicated on other troubled rivers in the Colorado
River Basin to further restore and protect our state’s most precious resource.
The Colorado Water Trust requests a $35,000 grant from the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board to
implement and steward the Wheeler NDA for five years out of the next ten as well as to perform a
feasibility analysis of options for how to implement the Grizzly Water and Exchange supplies to help
bolster flows in the Roaring Fork.
The funding would support the Colorado Water Trust to:
coordinate the project as a whole;
perform the feasibility analyses for the Grizzly Water and the Exchange;
forecast the instream flow needs for the upcoming irrigation season;
determine each year if the Wheeler NDA will be implemented;
perform outreach; and,
monitor and report streamflow and project benefits.
We anticipate hiring a local contractor to perform the forecasting, monitoring, and reporting tasks.
We respectfully request that the funding be provided up front because it will help us to know that we have
the resources available to forecast and implement the Wheeler NDA without needing to engage in
additional process to obtain the funds from year to year. If provided up front, we will hold the funds in a
temporarily restricted account, releasing the funds only as needed throughout the ten-year period and will
report on an annual basis how the funds are used. We are, however, open to alternative distribution
approaches.
Viability of the Projects
Wheeler NDA
Because the Colorado Water Trust has already restored flows on the Roaring Fork through the short-term
Wheeler NDA with the City, we know that the Wheeler NDA is practical and will be completed as
proposed. We have seen this model succeed and are confident that the longer-term Wheeler NDA will
have the same level of success. The longer-term Wheeler NDA under Senate Bill 19 is beneficial to the
City as it protects the City’s water rights from diminishment while leaving the water in the vitally
important river. It is a win-win situation that helps restore the natural flow of the river in addition to
supporting Pitkin County’s way of life.
The Wheeler NDA provides an original model for coupling an non-diversion agreement with Senate Bill
19 protections to incentivize other water right owners to participate and collaborate in augmenting
streamflows in ways that lower risk, are flexible, and do not rely on big government-run programs. If
other ditches are willing to participate in an NDA through the Colorado Water Trust’s Senate Bill 19
program, we could replicate this kind of project on other rivers in the Colorado River Basin—including
other water users in the Roaring Fork.
Grizzly Water and Exchange
The Grizzly Water and the Exchange will increase the amount of water we have to work with and so
provide additional support to the success of the project. Because we can only implement the Wheeler
NDA in five out of the ten years, adding the Grizzly Water and the Exchange might allow us to fill in any
gaps the river may experience. The Grizzly Water and the Exchange further promote the collaborative
nature of this comprehensive project. By partnering with multiple parties—the Colorado Water Trust, the
Colorado River Water Conservation District, and the City—Pitkin County will demonstrate its
commitment and willingness to addressing its water challenges through partnerships.
Keep in mind with this proposal that using these valuable assets (the Wheeler NDA, the Grizzly Water,
and the Exchange) for flow restoration takes staff time for the water users, funding for the projects
overall, and very specialized knowledge. Just because a water user is willing to engage in a flow project
or has water available to dedicate to the river does not mean that they also have the expertise, funds, or
capacity to undertake them. Most Colorado water users do not have the capacity to implement habitat,
infrastructure, and streamflow projects for environmental benefits. This happens despite wishing to see
such outcomes for their local rivers and knowing that a growing number of their constituents wish to see
this kind of environmental stewardship. The Colorado Water Trust spends all day, every day working on
these kinds of projects, using market-based, voluntary, collaborative, and win-win strategies. We also
help ensure these projects can be accomplished by dedicating time and resources to raising the funds that
support them. This application is the result of our playing that crucial role for these three projects, one
ongoing and two brand new.
Public Need Accessibility and Appreciation
Wheeler NDA
The Wheeler NDA benefits aquatic habitat as well as tourist and local activities by keeping water in the
Roaring Fork as it makes its way through downtown Aspen. Visitors to the parks along the river will not
only be able to enjoy the river’s beauty, but they will also be able to swim and play in the water.
Cutthroat, brook, rainbow, and brown trout will all be able to migrate to the Upper Roaring Fork, not only
supporting their populations but also fly-fishing tourism late into the season. It is an arrangement that is
beneficial to all.
Grizzly Water and Exchange
No one has tried this creative management of water rights in Colorado before. It is a novel and innovative
plan, making it a unique opportunity for Pitkin County, the City, and the Colorado River Water
Conservation District to lead the state into a new frontier of water management through multiple uses.
Public funding for these projects will demonstrate to the rest of the state the innovation and leadership
that Pitkin County is taking to address its water challenges. By working with the City, the Colorado River
District, and the Colorado Water Trust to pilot these projects, and participate in the Senate Bill 19
program, Pitkin County can demonstrate to other water users throughout the state how their rivers and
communities can benefit from similar collaborations.
We will promote the projects and the collaborative leadership role of Pitkin County through a public
relations campaign that will include: promotion through our enewsletter sent to over 1,600 subscribers,
social media shared with nearly 600 followers, newspapers, public events to visit and learn about the
project, and presentations at conferences. One of the most important elements of this campaign will be the
message that the mission of the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board, on which the ballot initiative relied in
order to be successful, can continue to be fulfilled by funding these projects. These are the kinds of
projects that the Healthy Rivers and Streams Fund was set up to fund—on the ground projects with real
environmental benefits that improve one of the most important heart-and-soul assets of Pitkin County: the
Roaring Fork River.
We’ve had great success getting the word out with our other projects. In 2012, National Geographic
featured our Request for Water program and subsequent project on the Yampa River in a film, Hope for
Rivers During Drought. More recently, we wrote a press release about our McKinley Ditch project on the
Little Cimarron in the Gunnison River Basin that was picked up by multiple media outlets including:
Steamboat Times, Aspen Times, Summit County Citizens Voice, Post Independent, The Daily Sentinel,
Ourey County Plaindealer, and the High Plains Journal.
Other examples of our media successes can be found in our Newsroom on our website, located at:
http://www.coloradowatertrust.org/newsroom/c/in-the-news.
History of the Colorado Water Trust
In 2000, a group of water attorneys, engineers, and conservationists began to meet to brainstorm ways to
bolster the state’s Instream Flow Program—a program that appropriates, acquires, protects and monitors
river instream flow to preserve and improve the natural environment to a reasonable degree. Despite the
efforts of the program, many rivers were still experiencing water shortages and in some cases, drying up
completely. Our founders saw that the solution to restoring and protecting river streamflows already
existed within Colorado water law—they just needed someone to do the work. They envisioned a private
non-profit organization that would act as a facilitator for putting water back into our rivers and in 2001,
founded the Colorado Water Trust.
The Colorado Water Trust believes that Colorado’s rivers should be able to flow, providing ample water
to support healthy aquatic ecosystems as well as a reasonable and sustainable way of life. Water in the
west is scarce, and our water resources are over-tapped, but with proper management and creativity, these
mighty rivers can support both people and the environment. By working in Colorado's highly complex
water arena in a neutral and collaborative way, we partner with water rights owners across the state to put
water back into our rivers. We restore and protect the natural flow of Colorado’s rivers while maintaining
the water needs of our communities for a sustainable water future for our state.
Over the past 14 years, we have put 22 flow restoration projects on the ground, returning water to 24
rivers and streams, and as much as one foot of water covering the entire island of Manhattan in New
York. With our diverse partners across the state, we are restoring critical habitat for fish and other
wildlife, creating improved recreation opportunities, and bringing back to Colorado’s landscape the
beauty of a naturally flowing river.
Below are two other examples of other Colorado Water Trust projects completed over the past two years:
Little Cimarron – Gunnison
In January 2014, the Colorado Water Trust purchased 1.5 shares in the McKinley Ditch—a diversion that
takes water from the Little Cimarron for agricultural purposes. Through creative management of the water
rights with our most important partner, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, we will use our share to
restore late summer flows to the Little Cimarron, reconnecting habitat for the migrating trout while
sustaining important agricultural production. This innovative agreement is the first of its kind,
demonstrating that agricultural water rights holders can use their water in early summer for their crops
and then be compensated for leaving it in the river in late summer and early fall. It’s a win-win solution
that both supports the environment and preserves Colorado’s way of life.
Cache La Poudre – Fort Collins
The Josh Ames Diversion Dam was an eight-foot high structure on the Cache La Poudre River located on
the north side of Fort Collins. Built in the 1960s, but unused since the 1970s, this abandoned dam
impeded streamflows, fish, canoeists, and kayakers. It collected sediment, increasing water temperatures
and evaporative water loss. Because the dam spanned the entire width of the river, fish were stuck
downstream and recreationalists were forced to portage. After a year of due diligence, permitting, and
fundraising, in 2013, the Colorado Water Trust partnered with the City of Fort Collins to remove the
structure, restoring a half mile of the riparian corridor, wetlands and aquatic habitat as well as
reconnection of the floodplain to the river. Since the removal of the dam, the health of the river has
improved.
Budget, Measurements, and Accountability
The costs for the projects are broken down in Appendix A as follows:
The Wheeler NDA costs are totaled for five out of the ten years that the project would be
implemented and shown in the first table.
The costs during non-implementation years are calculated in the second table. We will have only
streamflow projection costs in those years, and no implementation costs.
The costs for the Grizzly Water and the Exchange are only a one-time fee to perform the due
diligence investigations required to determine what, if any, tools are available to use those water
rights for flow restoration. Phase II of that work will involve costs for implementation. We may
wish to seek funds for the implementation phase of these projects, but will not know until we’ve
completed our due diligence.
We have factored into the request a two percent inflation rate over the ten-year time period for the
Wheeler NDA.
Please see the detailed Project Budget attached in Appendix A.
Wheeler NDA
Since the Colorado Water Trust has implemented the physical aspects of the Wheeler NDA before, we are
confident in the costs involved in making it a success. We have received match funding for the three
project budgets from the Colorado Water Conservation Board and are in conversations with the
Bonneville Environmental Foundation and the Environment Foundation for additional support. All of
these funders have been asked for the funds up front.
We will know the Wheeler NDA is a success if we will be able to improve flows in the short reach in the
Roaring Fork by more than ten percent throughout the ten-year period. The Colorado Water Trust will
report to the Healthy Rivers Board each spring beginning in 2016 with the results of forecasting and
whether or not we anticipate implementing the Wheeler NDA that year. Each fall of implementation, we
will report on the streamflow benefits resulting from the project.
Grizzly Water and Exchange
The Grizzly Water and the Exchange will be successful if we are able to complete the feasibility studies
on these two water sources and set up what the implementation processes for these water rights should
look like. For the Grizzly Water, we will need to understand how to best use this water to enhance
streamflows in the Roaring Fork. For the Exchange, we will need to understand how to protect this water
for flow restoration purposes. The Colorado Water Trust will report to the Healthy Rivers Board on the
outcomes of our investigations on the Grizzly Water and the Exchange within the first year of the grant.
Because a significant part of this work is devising permanent solutions to keep water in the flow-impaired
reach of the Roaring Fork, one other measure of success over the ten-year period will be whether we have
successfully recruited or otherwise found other water users willing to put water back in the river. The idea
is that projects beget projects, as in the case of the Wheeler NDA. We had already been working on the
river with the City, and the City considered what other water rights it could use. And then the Colorado
River Water Conservation District joined the conversation with its water rights as well. Ongoing
momentum will be another sign of success.
At the end of the ten-year period, we will complete a comprehensive report of all three projects including
all success indicators. We will return any unused funds to the Healthy Rivers and Stream Fund at the end
of the grant period if they are not expended. In the event of contingencies, we will seek additional funds
to supplement the budget we have provided.
Thank You
In summary, we have a lot of work to do to restore flows on our rivers and protect our water resources for
the future. With generous support from the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board, the Colorado Water Trust,
in partnership with the City of Aspen and the Colorado River Water Conservation District, will be able to
put water back into a vitally important reach of the Roaring Fork River. Thank you for considering a
partnership to protect and restore Pitkin County’s most precious resource.
Appendix A
Colorado Water Trust Subcontractor
Executive
Director
Director
of Programs
Transaction
Specialist
Staff
Attorney Expenses Subtotal
CWT Subcontractor Total
Task 140$ 110$ 110$ 100$
Wheeler NDA 3 16 1,500$ 3,680$ 6,500$ 10,180$
Grizzly Water (first year only)1 10 5 1,500$ 3,290$ 3,290$
Exchange (first year only)1 10 5 1,500$ 3,290$ 3,290$
Total 145$ 146$ 120$ 100$ 4,500$ 10,260$ 6,500$ 16,760$
Colorado Water Trust Subcontractor
Executive
Director
Director
of Programs
Transaction
Specialist
Staff
Attorney Expenses Subtotal
CWT Subcontractor Total
Task 140$ 110$ 110$ 100$
Streamflow Forecast 2 220$ 500$ 720$
Project Coordination and Outreach -$ -$
Monitoring and Reporting -$ -$
Total 140$ 112$ 110$ 100$ -$ 220$ 500$ 720$
Percent Healthy Rivers: 50%
Task Total Healthy Rivers Match
Wheeler NDA 54,500$ 27,250$ 27,250$
Grizzly Water 3,290$ 1,645$ 1,645$
Exchange 3,290$ 1,645$ 1,645$
Total 61,080$ 30,540$ 30,540$
Wheeler NDA (adjusted for inflation at 2%)66,435$ 33,218$ 33,218$
Grizzly Water 3,290$ 1,645$ 1,645$
Exchange 3,290$ 1,645$ 1,645$
Total 73,015$ 36,508$ 36,508$
Implementation Year Budget Estimate- Roaring Fork Project
Non-Implementation Year Budget Estimate- Wheeler NDA
Ten-year Budget Estimate