Water Supply Reserve Account – Grant and Loan Program Water Activity Summary Sheet November 18-19, 2015 Agenda Item 14(b) Applicant & Fiscal Agent: Eagle County Conservation District Water Activity Name: Eagle County Conservation District Irrigation Asset Inventory Program Water Activity Purpose: Agricultural County: Eagle Drainage Basin: Colorado Water Source: Colorado River tributaries Amount Requested/Source of Funds: $54,300 Colorado Basin Account (total grant request) Matching Funds: Applicant Match: $11,200 (cash & in kind) =17.1% of the total project cost of $65,500 (refer to Funding Summary/Matching Funds section below) Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of up to $54,300 from the Colorado Basin Account to help fund the project titled: Eagle County Conservation District Irrigation Asset Inventory Program. Water Activity Summary: WSRA funds, if approved, will be expended to fund the Eagle County Conservation District (ECCD) Irrigation Asset Inventory Program. The project proposes to develop a program to assess the condition of the agricultural infrastructure within the ECCD’s boundaries, ultimately assigning a “conditional ranking” to irrigation system infrastructure to assist with the prioritization of improvements and funding needs. The inventory and assessment process will evaluate all ditch related structures from the diversion structure to the last lateral. The inventory will photo document the existing condition of the structures along with a brief editorial summary and condition assessment. Ditch system structures to be evaluated include: diversion structure, headgate and wingwalls, return headgate and ditch, measuring structure, ditch condition throughout length of ditch, culverts, and lateral headgates as available. Environmental (non-consumptive) attributes will also be documented near the diversion structure and as identified by the ditch owner. Environmental attributes to be identified include riparian areas and condition, fish habitat and barriers, erosive prone areas, and dechannelized flows. The major goals of the program are as follows: • Education - The program will provide system owners with a ditch summary report that will document ditch operations, top concerns and needs as well as provide a resource of contact and maintenance tips. This report may also be used by the ditch owners as supplemental support of top needs when seeking additional funding or project support. • Collaboration - Connecting ditch owners to regional partners that can assist in the funding and implementation of identified top concerns. The potential for future agricultural structural -1- • • • projects that can offer environmental improvements will also be assessed as part of the ditch evaluation. Environmental conditions evaluated include potential for improved fish habitat and barriers, riparian area, channelized streams, sediment reductions, and reducing the potential for water quality degradation. Collaboration - Prioritized list of (non-ditch specific) agricultural projects with multiple benefits that potential partnering organizations could review when looking for teaming opportunities. Build Trust - Build confidence among peers in agriculture community through maintaining a high level of privacy related to specific ditch conditions and only proceeding on ditch evaluations and partnership opportunities with owner’s permissions. Discussion: The Irrigation Asset Inventory Program was included in the Colorado River Basin Implementation Plan as a top regional project to support agriculture in the Eagle River and State Bridge regions both of which are covered by the ECCD. The project also meets five of the Colorado BIP’s six themes: • Sustain Agriculture • Protect and Restore Healthy Streams, Rivers, Lakes and Riparian Areas • Secure Safe Drinking Water • Assure Dependable Basin Administration • High Basinwide Conservation More information on these themes, and how the project addresses these themes, is located within the application. Issues/Additional Needs: No issues or additional needs have been identified. Threshold and Evaluation Criteria: The application meets all four Threshold Criteria. Tier 1-3 Evaluation Criteria: n/a Funding Summary/Matching Funds: Cash $5,000 $0 $5,000 $54,300 $59,300 ECCD NRCS Subtotal Matching Funds WSRA Colorado Basin Account Total (1) Estimated based upon 150 hours of in-kind service. (2) Estimated based upon 40 hours of program oversight and engineering In-kind $3,000(1) $3,200(2) $6,200 n/a $6,200 Total $8,000 $3,200 $11,200 $54,300 $65,500 CWCB Project Manager: Brent Newman All products, data and information developed as a result of this grant must be provided to the CWCB in hard copy and electronic format as part of the project documentation. This information will in turn be made widely available to Basin Roundtables and the general public and will help promote the development of a common technical platform. In accordance with the revised WSRA Criteria and -2- Guidelines, staff would like to highlight additional reporting and final deliverable requirements. The specific requirements are provided below. Reporting: The applicant shall provide the CWCB a progress report every 6 months, beginning from the date of the executed contract. The progress report shall describe the completion or partial completion of the tasks identified in the scope of work including a description of any major issues that have occurred and any corrective action taken to address these issues. Final Deliverable: At completion of the project, the applicant shall provide the CWCB a final report that summarizes the project and documents how the project was completed. This report may contain photographs, summaries of meetings and engineering reports/designs. Engineering: All engineering work (as defined in the Engineers Practice Act (§12-25-102(10) C.R.S.)) performed under this grant shall be performed by or under the responsible charge of professional engineer licensed by the State of Colorado to practice Engineering. -3-