848B0716C0CF9F708725877B005A3328 Hearing Summary CLICS/CLICS2021A/commsumm.nsf PUBLICBILL SUMMARY For WATER PLAN UPDATEINTERIM COMMITTEE WATER RESOURCES REVIEW COMMITTEEDate Oct 27, 2021 Location SCR 357 Water Plan Update - Committee Discussion Only Attachment Tag File Name Attachment C http://www2.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2021A/commsumm.nsf/0/73398A4E4349...$File/Attachment C.pdf?OpenElement Attachment C.pdf 10:25:15 AM Lauren Ris, Deputy Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), introduced the presentation on the Colorado Water Plan (Attachment C). She reviewed the background and mission of CWCB. She discussed how CWCB implements the Colorado Water Plan. 10:27:57 AM Russ Sands, Section Chief of Water Supply Planning, CWCB, discussed how the Colorado Water Plan (the plan) was created and how different groups contributed to the creation of it. He spoke about the individual Basin Implementation Plans that make up the plan and where they are at in the planning process. He continued to speak about the goals and focal areas of the plan, including vibrant communities, robust agriculture, thriving watersheds, and resilient planning. 10:34:07 AM He told the committee that the next draft of the plan should be released in June 2022. He spoke about the timeline that is set forth in statute for creating the plan. 10:40:48 AM Mr. Sands spoke about the upcoming "Year of Water" in 2022 and what his team will be doing over the next year to increase awareness of hte plan. 10:45:03 AM The committee made comments and asked about community engagement. Ms. Ris spoke about their plans to speak to individuals in the communities. She sought the committees comments about how they could do a better job at reaching their individual communities. Mr. Sands discussed how they are working to bring more people into discussions. 10:55:50 AM The committee made comments and asked about the role of the state government in the creation of the plan. Mr. Sands told the committee about how they are tracking the steps the legislature has put in place that his team has had to meet. Ms. Ris spoke about the grant programs that have been created allowing for the implementation of the plan. 10:59:12 AM The committee asked about how the plan has been impacted by old federal water projects in the state. Ms. Ris said they have not looked back at old projects from the original water plan. 11:03:22 AM The committee made comments about the importance of the plan and water users' reliance on CWCB and the State Engineer. Members made comments about the potential to include information about projects that have not been completed in the plan with the expectation that more federal dollars can be put towards water projects. Mr. Sands told the committee that they have something like this available to the public currently, but it is still being updated.
