© 2014 HDR, all rights reserved. CWCB Meeting - July 16, 2014 Rangely, Colorado Review of the Draft South Platte Basin Implementation Plan

Plan Elements Alternative Portfolios Summary South Platte Overview Overarching Themes & Goals The South Platte Vision Challenges 2

1 South Platte Overview

 Municipal  Industrial  Agricultural  Environmental  Recreational South Platte Basin Overview – Diverse Needs 4

The east slope is home to 80% of the State’s population (t he Metro and South Platte Basin account for about 70%) Large industries include energy production, manufacturing, brewing, and food processing Power generation at coal and natural gas fired facilities Municipal and Industrial Water Needs 5

Municipal & Industrial (M&I) Water Supply Gap in the South Platte Basin 2050 Gap Existing Supply 6 *Based on SWSI 2010 Medium Water Demands

 1.4 million acres of irrigated land  Seven of top ten agricultural producing counties in the State  Represents approximately 75% of agricultural sales statewide  Processing of West Slope agricultural products Agricultural Water Needs 7

Agricultural Water Shortages (2050) 8 *Based on SWSI 2010 Agricultural Needs Projections Gap 262,000 AFY Gap 160,000 AFY

 Enjoyment of environmental and recreational values o South Platte Basin is a gateway to tourism throughout the State o South Platte Basin is home to the most visited State Parks o Environment and recreational opportunities important to quality of life  Various Attributes of Importance within the Basin o State endangered, threatened, or species of special concern o Important Riparian Habitat o Migratory Bird Viewing/Hunting o Fishing (including Gold Medal fisheries) o Recreation (including skiing and whitewater and flatwater boating ) Environmental and Recreational 9

2 Overarching Themes & Goals

 “A Good Colorado Plan Needs a Good South Platte Plan”  Solutions must be pragmatic, balanced, and consistent with Colorado law and property rights  The South Platte River Basin will continue its leadership role in efficient use and management of water  A balanced program is needed to investigate, preserve, and develop Colorado River options Overarching Themes for South Platte BIP 11

1. Agriculture 2. Municipal Water Conservation, Reuse and Efficiency 3. Identified Projects and Processes 4. South Platte Storage and Other Infrastructure 5. Water Quality 6. New Colorado River Supply 7. Environmental and Recreational 8. Statewide - Long-term Eight Goals and Measureable Outcomes 12

3 The South Platte Vision

 Successful IPPs  Conservation and reuse  Multipurpose projects  Storage, additional conveyance and system integration  Environmental and recreational protections and enhancements  Agricultural transfer – through ATMs where feasible  New Colorado River supply The South Platte Vision – Meeting the Municipal Supply Gap 14

 Minimize the impacts of traditional dry-up  Encourage continued agricultural production and restoration of curtailed production  Integrated development of new Colorado River Supply The South Platte Vision – Future Agricultural Production 15

 Identify and implement attribute-specific projects to enhance environmental and recreational attributes  Encourage cooperative projects to enhance environmental and recreational attributes  Encourage funding and cooperation  Promote cooperative storage for environmental and recreational needs The South Platte Vision – Protecting Environmental and Recreational Attributes

 The Roundtables envision that if state water project(s) are considered they would: o Supply water to communities with enhanced levels of conservation & reuse o Provide environmental and recreational enhancements for both east and west slopes The South Platte Vision – Collaborative Statewide Approach 17

4 Challenges

1. Lack of unappropriated water 2. Needs have long exceeded the native supplies 3. Degree of successive water use 4. Limitations on additional water reuse 5. Further reductions in per-capita consumption are limited 6. Additional use of Denver Basin Aquifer water 7. Opportunity for groundwater storage 8. Use of the South Platte alluvial aquifer 16 Major Challenges in Meeting the Gaps 19

9. Republican River Basin water use constraints 10. Programs to manage and recover protected species and their habitats 11. Water quality management 12. Time and cost for regulatory decisions on new water projects 13. Diverse environmental and recreational water needs and concerns 14. Vulnerability to water service disruptions 15. Opportunities for further system interconnections 16. Roles of elected officials, business community and the general public in water supply planning 16 Major Challenges in Meeting the Gaps 20

21 South Platte BIP The Challenges Drive the Solutions

5 Plan Elements

1. Maximize Implementation of Identified Projects and Processes BasinProject Estimated Yield (AFY) South PlatteNorthern Integrated Supply Project40,000 South Platte Windy Gap Firming Project30,000 MetroMoffat Collection System Project (Denver Water, Arvada)18,000 MetroRueter Hess Reservoir Enlargement (Parker WSD, Town of Castle Rock, Castle Pines North, Stonegate) 14,810 MetroThornton Northern Project13,500 MetroECCV Northern Expansion12,700 MetroAurora’s Eagle River Joint-Use Project (Eagle River MOU)10,000 South PlatteChatfield Reservoir Storage Reallocation Project8,500 South PlatteFort Collins Halligan Reservoir Enlargement7,000 South PlatteGreeley’s Milton Seaman Reservoir Enlargement6,600

M&I Medium Scenario Gap Gap Medium Success IPPs (60%) Existing Supply

25 M&I Gap by County IPPs Remaining Gap

SINCE 2000 MetroRest of South Platte Basin Reduction (%) Reduction (%) TOTAL GPCD % %  South Platte Basin municipalities are among the national leaders in water conservation  South Platte Basin municipalities are pursuing even more aggressive conservation goals 2. Maintain Leadership in M&I Conservation and Reuse Measure MetroRest of South Platte Basin Baseline Reduction (%) Baseline Reduction (%) Residential Indoor % % Non-Residential Indoor % % Outdoor % % Water Loss %151033% TOTAL GPCD % %

 Reuse is being pursued by nearly all water providers  Opportunities for future reuse in Metro and South Platte are limited due to regulatory and supply constraints 2. Maintain Leadership in M&I Conservation and Reuse 27 BasinProject Estimated Yield (AFY) MetroAurora’s Prairie Waters Project Expansion & Storage Variable MetroDenver Water Reuse17,500 MetroWISE (SMWSA, Denver Water, Aurora)7,225 “South Platte River Basin will continue its Leadership Role in Efficient Use and Management of Water”

 Develop new multipurpose projects  Effectively use tributary and non-tributary groundwater  Explore further integration of supply systems 3. Maximize effective use of South Platte Supplies 28

 Alternative Transfer Methods (ATMs) o Minimize impact on local economy o Minimize societal impacts o Minimize environmental and recreational impacts o Provide funding sources for agricultural users o Optimize both agricultural and nonagricultural benefits  Pilot projects underway through CWCB’s ATM Grant Program  While promising, there are numerous technical, legal, institutional and financial issues that need to be addressed  Historically, traditional agricultural transfers (“buy and dry”) between willing buyers and sellers to meet M&I demands 4. Minimize traditional agricultural buy and dry – use ATMs where practical 29

Types of projects:  Instream flow and lake level  Channel restoration  Stewardship  Species reintroduction  Cooperative and multipurpose projects 5. Protect and enhance environmental and recreational attributes 30

5. Protect and enhance environmental and recreational attributes  Alternative Transfer Methods  Multi-Purpose Projects  Storage  Recharge  Diversion Modification or Reoperation  Trans-Basin Projects  Enhancement and/or reduction of streamflows  Benefits and impacts to wetlands and other wildlife habitat  Municipal and Industrial Projects  Agricultural Dry-up  Reduction of return flows impacting environmental and recreational attributes 31

Regions Identified by BRTs – Project Examples 5. Protect and enhance environmental and recreational attributes Northern Upper Mountain Metro Region Lower High Plains

Regions Identified by BRTs – Project Examples 5. Protect and enhance environmental and recreational attributes Upper Mountain Region Attributes: Rare and Significant Plant Species Boating Fishing Projects Stewardship Channel and Riparian Corridor Restoration

Regions Identified by BRTs – Project Examples 5. Protect and enhance environmental and recreational attributes Metro Region Attributes: Recreational Corridors Riparian Habitat Fish Habitat Projects Greenway Projects Stream Channel Restoration Stewardship Species Reintroduction

Regions Identified by BRTs – Project Examples 5. Protect and enhance environmental and recreational attributes Northern Region Attributes: Recreational Boating Plains Fish Species Wild and Scenic Projects Facilities Modification Stream Channel Restoration Fish Passage

Regions Identified by BRTs – Project Examples 5. Protect and enhance environmental and recreational attributes Lower South Platte Region Attributes: Plains Fish Species Waterfowl Hunting/Viewing Flatwater Boating Riparian Habitat Projects Species Reintroduction Cooperative Recharge Projects Reservoirs Stewardship and Land Conservation

 South Platte and Metro RTs support on-going IBCC discussions  South Platte Alternative Concepts include: o A single, larger project: various configurations of Flaming Gorge, Green River and Yampa River projects o Smaller or incremental projects  BRTs do not support the default agricultural transfer only plan  Seek to develop balanced, integrated plan including Colorado River projects and agricultural transfers for the overall benefit of Colorado 6. Simultaneously advance new Colorado River supply options 37 “A Balanced Program is needed to Plan and Preserve Colorado River Options”

 Resilient water storage and conveyance infrastructure  Use of safety factors  Evaluate potential system vulnerabilities  Collaborative, regional approaches (such as WISE) 7. Manage risk of climate change impacts 38

Suggested Activities:  Develop consistent message to describe water supply gaps  Leverage communication professionals  Complement existing state efforts  Develop and maintain basin-specific tools and approaches  Establish success metrics 8. Facilitate effective South Platte communication and outreach programs 39

 Make use of lower quality water sources: o Blending strategies and advanced water treatment technologies o Research and develop new technologies 9. Research new technologies and strategies 40 Participating Agencies: Colorado Water Conservation Board o WSRA Statewide Fund o Metro RT WSRA Fund o South Platte RT WSRA Fund o Arkansas RT WSRA Fund Metro Wastewater Reclamation District City of Aurora City of Brighton East Cherry Creek Valley WSD City of La Junta Northern Water South Adams County WSD Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority Colorado Zero Liquid Discharge

Goals:  Save public money  Provide same assurance of quality and due diligence  Retain existing environmental protections  Provide greater efficiency, predictability, and consistency in the permitting process 10. Advocate for improvements to federal and state permitting processes 41

6 Alternative Portfolios

 Portfolio A: In-basin portfolio with only traditional buy and dry  Portfolio B: In-basin portfolio with IPPs at 60% success, ATMs, multipurpose/cooperative projects, and traditional agricultural transfers  Portfolio C: A balanced portfolio with in-basin methods and new Colorado River supplies (150,000 AF) Alternative South Platte Portfolios 43

Alternative South Platte Portfolios 44

Alternative South Platte Portfolios – Additional Conservation 45

Alternative South Platte Portfolios – Climate Change 46

7 Summary 47

 “A Good Colorado Plan Needs a Good South Platte Plan”  Solutions must be pragmatic, balanced, and consistent with Colorado law and property rights  The South Platte River Basin will continue its leadership role in efficient use and management of water  A balanced program is needed to investigate, preserve, and develop Colorado River options Overarching Themes for South Platte BIP 48

© 2014 HDR, all rights reserved. Questions and Comments from the Board?