The success of the plan comes from implementing the objectives, goals, and actions Coloradans developed in order to ensure the state’s most valuable resource is protected and available for generations to come. Coloradans have been hard at work doing just that over this past year. And they will continue to do so for many years to come to ensure our state finds solutions and strategies that balance our diverse water needs and move the state forward together. The Colorado's Water Plan Implementation Fact Sheet contains the progress update on meeting the objectives set forth in the plan. Go to the Plan...
Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum Releases 2017 Review Draft for Public Comment The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum has released a draft of the 2017 Review: Water Quality Standards for Salinity, Colorado River System for public comment. This triennial document serves not only to evaluate water quality standards for salinity in the Colorado River, but also provides background on salinity issues in the Colorado River Basin and establishes a Plan of Implementation to keep salinity concentration within the defined water quality standards.
Public comments will be accepted through August 25, 2017. The Forum will then incorporate comments and consider the 2017 Review for adoption in October. Send comments to Brent Newman, CWCB staff at brent.newman@state.co.us.
For more information about the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum, visit http://coloradoriversalinity.org/, or check out this brief video: http://coloradoriversalinity.org/docs/CRBSCP_Trailer2-Thank-U-Web.mp4.
South Platte High Groundwater Analysis in the Gilcrest-LaSalle and Sterling Areas -- Final Report There have been increased occurrences of high groundwater issues since about 2008 in several areas in the lower South Platte Basin, primarily in the Gilcrest-LaSalle area and in two subdivisions on the west side of Sterling. In collaboration with CWCB, the Colorado Division of Water Resources (DWR) initiated detailed data collection and monitoring of the hydrologic conditions and drivers in the Sterling and Gilcrest-LaSalle areas in spring 2012 with the intent of hiring a third-party consultant to analyze the data, quantify the drivers of water table change, and identify relationships among the drivers. The overall goal of the project described in this report was to create a water budget that can help describe the hydrologic and hydrogeologic influences that may be causing high groundwater in the Sterling and Gilcrest/LaSalle areas. View the report.
House Bill 15-1013 authorizes the CWCB, in consultation with the State Engineer, to select and administer two pilot projects for the purpose of providing the CWCB and State Engineer with sufficient data to evaluate two alternative methods of lowering the water table in the Gilcrest and Sterling areas along the South Platte River that are experiencing damaging high groundwater levels.
Comments should be directed to Erik Skeie.