RIO GRANDE BASIN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN N Saguache APRIL 2015 Creede Santa Maria Continental Reservoir Reservoir Rio Grande Del Center Reservoir Norte San Luis Rio Grande Lake Beaver Creek Monte Vista Basin Roundtable Reservoir Alamosa Terrace Smith Reservoir Reservoir Platoro Mountain Home Reservoir Reservoir La Jara Reservoir San Luis Manassa Trujillo Meadows Sanchez Reservoir Reservoir 0 10 25 50 Miles RIO GRANDE BASIN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Rio Grande Natural Area. Photo: Heather Dutton DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS 2 RIO GRANDE BASIN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN SECTION<CURRENT SECTION> PB DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Rio Grande Basin Implementation Plan (the Plan) The RGBRT Water Plan Steering Committee and its has been developed as part of the Colorado Water Plan. subcommittee chairpersons, along with the entire The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and the RGBRT and subcommittees were active participants in Rio Grande Basin Roundtable (RGBRT) provided funding the preparation of this Plan. The steering committee for this effort through the State’s Water Supply Reserve members, who also served on subcommittees and were Account program. Countless volunteer hours were also active participants in drafting and editing this Plan, were: contributed by RGBRT members and Rio Grande Basin (the Basin) citizens in the drafting of this Plan. Mike Gibson, RGBRT Chairperson Rick Basagoitia Additionally, we would like to recognize the State of Ron Brink Colorado officials and staff from the Colorado Water Nathan Coombs Conservation Board, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Rio de la Vista Colorado Division of Water Resources who were involved Heather Dutton in the development of the Colorado Water Plan and Eugene Jacquez provided great assistance to the RGBRT in the preparation Nicole Langley of this Plan: Judy Lopez Cindy Medina Governor John Hickenlooper Emma Regier Mike King, Director of the Department of Natural Travis Smith Resources Charlie Spielman John Stulp, Governor’s Advisor on Water Kevin Terry Travis Smith, CWCB Rio Grande Basin board member Steve Vandiver James Eklund, Director of Colorado Water Conservation Board Mike Gibson and Heather Dutton provided significant time and input on the editing of this report. The following We also appreciate the input from the following DiNatale Water Consultants staff worked with the RGBRT governmental agencies: on the preparation of this Plan: Kelly DiNatale, Tom Spezze, Arista Hickman, Matt Bliss, Brian Macpherson, Colorado Division of Water Resources, Division 3 and Peter DiNatale. Colorado Parks and Wildlife U.S. Forest Service Graphic Design: Jeremy Carlson U.S. Bureau of Land Management Front Cover Photos, from top: Confluence of the Rio Grande and Conejos River on the Cross Arrow Ranch; photo: John Fielder. Rio Grande cutthroat trout; illustration © JR Tomelleri. Farmer irrigating via acequia system; photo: The Acequia Institute. Map of the Rio Grande Basin wrapping front and back: Jeremy Carlson DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS PB RIO GRANDE BASIN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 3 DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS CONTENTS 1: Introduction 11 5: Constraints and Opportunities 83 1.1 : State Water Plan Process....................11 5.1 : Constraints ..............................84 1.2 : Basin Roundtable and Basin Implementation 5.2 : Opportunities ............................96 Plan Process ..............................13 5.3 : Rio Grande Basin Planning Model............110 1.3 : Organization of the Basin Implementation Plan..18 6: Projects and Methods 116 2: Basin Overview 21 6.1 : Introduction .............................116 2.1 : Basin Background .........................21 6.2 : Project Fact Sheets .......................117 2.2 : Economy ................................25 6.3 : Projects Meeting Basin’s Needs and Goals ... 150 2.3 : Surface Water Hydrology and Groundwater 6.4 : Anticipated Funding Needs Resources ............................... 27 for Identified Projects......................153 2.4 : History of Water Development ..............32 6.5 : Other Projects and Methods ................156 2.5 : Water Administration ......................40 2.6 : Environmental and Recreational Resources....48 7: Outreach and Education 158 7.1 : Summary of Outreach Completed During 3: Rio Grande Basin Goals 57 the Plan Draft Process .....................158 7.2 : Action Plan for Education, Participation, and 4: Basin Water Needs 60 Outreach 2015 and Beyond ............... 160 4.1 : Agricultural Needs ........................60 7.3 : Rio Grande Basin 4.2 : Municipal and Industrial Needs..............66 Long-Range Outreach Strategies ............161 4.3 : Environmental and Recreational Needs ....... 73 4.4 : Water Administration Needs ................ 79 8: The Rio Grande Basin Path Forward 162 9: References Used 164 DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS 4 RIO GRANDE BASIN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 5 DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Public and private land ownership in the Table 7. Flow thresholds for boatable days. 114 Rio Grande Basin. .......................24 Table 8. Basin needs and goals as met by Table 2. Production, revenue and water use by identified projects, listed in alphabetical major crop grown in the San Luis Valley. ....26 order. ...............................150 Table 3. Average StateCU output for the Rio Table 9. Total annual costs for identified site- Grande Basin. ..........................63 specific projects........................ 154 Table 4. Rio Grande Basin M&I Subcommittee Table 10. RGBRT-identified additional projects and estimates of population and M&I water methods. ............................. 156 needs 2013–2050. ......................68 Table 11. Basin outreach program activities. ........ 159 Table 5. Summary of water supply, infrastructure, Table 12. Specific education and outreach goals of and water rights for Basin towns. ..........70 the Rio Grande Basin PEPO Subcommittee... 160 Table 6. Statistics from projected inflows used in the RiverWare Basin Planning Model. .......111 Diversion dam on the Rio Grande above Monte Vista. Photo © Adriel Heisey / www.adrielheisey.com DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS 4 RIO GRANDE BASIN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 5 DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Rio Grande Basin geography. .......22 Figure 15. Municipal and industrial water demands Figure 2. Location and ownership of public lands in by county in the Rio Grande Basin. .........66 the Rio Grande Basin.....................23 Figure 16. Comparison of calculated 2013 GPCD for Figure 3. Annual streamflow at the Rio Grande near select San Luis Valley towns vs. values Del Norte gage from 1890–2012. ..........27 reported in the SWSI 2010 report for the Rio Grande Basin. .......................67 Figure 4. Annual streamflow at the Conejos River index gages from 1926–2012. .............28 Figure 17. Map of water providers in the Rio Grande Basin. ................................69 Figure 5. Hydrologic aquifer map of Rio Grande Basin.. 29 Figure 18. Projected municipal and industrial and Figure 6. Aquifer recharge of the confined and self-supplied industrial demands in the unconfined aquifers along a mountain Rio Grande Basin. .......................72 front of the San Luis Valley. ...............30 Figure 19. Boreal toad habitat impacted by the West Figure 7. Map of Closed Basin area and associated Fork Complex Fire. ...................... 77 canals. ................................ 31 Figure 20. BARC Map for West Fork Complex Fire. .....87 Figure 8. Map of service areas of canals and ditches in the San Luis Valley. .............33 Figure 21. Map of spruce beetle and other insect infestations in Rio Grande National Forest Figure 9. Major Rio Grande Reservoirs...............34 from 2005–2012. .......................89 Figure 10. San Luis Valley Water Resources Figure 22. Summary schematic of environmental Development Timeline ...................38 impacts on hydrology. ...................93 Figure 11. Monthly average index flows, Colorado’s Figure 23. NRCS-forecasted and actual April– use, and curtailment for Conejos River September flow at the Rio Grande near and Rio Grande. .........................41 Del Norte gage..........................101 Figure 12. National Forest and wetlands in the San Figure 24. Anticipated diversions from the Rio Luis Valley..............................49 Grande and Conejos River under climate Figure 13. Instream flow reaches within the Rio change conditions in the 21st century. ......112 Grande Basin. .......................... 51 Figure 25. Number of average annual boatable days Figure 14. Irrigated acreage in Rio Grande Basin at different locations of the Rio Grande water districts...........................62 headwaters. ...........................115 Figure 26. Map of project locations. ................ 152 DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS 6 RIO GRANDE BASIN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN SECTION<CURRENT SECTION> PB DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS Rio Grande below Ute Ridge. Photo © Adriel Heisey / www.adrielheisey.com DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS PB RIO GRANDE BASIN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 7 DINATALE WATER CONSULTANTS ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND WORDS WITH MULTIPLE SPELLINGS AF Acre-feet G&MOs Goals and measurable outcomes AFY Acre-feet/year GOCO Great Outdoors Colorado Ag Agriculture (subcommittee abbreviation) GPCD Gallons per capita per day ARWRF Alamosa River Watershed Restoration Foundation HB House Bill ATM Alternative transfer method HCP Habitat Conservation Plan AWDI American Water Development Inc. IBCC Interbasin Compact Committee BLM Bureau of Land