R23AP00302

Upper Colorado River Commission

The Upper Division States (UDS) of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, acting through the Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC), in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation, announced their intent to launch a System Conservation Pilot Program (SCPP) in their 5-point plan. The SCPP is a key component of the 5-point plan to address the impacts of the ongoing drought and depleted storage in the Upper Colorado River Basin.

In pursuit of the re-initiation of the SCPP, the UCRC issued a request for proposals on December 14, 2022, and issued additional guidance and application materials on December 22, 2022. A 2-year reauthorization of the SCPP was included as part of the Congressional Omnibus Spending Bill, passed on December 23, 2022.

Additionally, the UCRC and Reclamation executed the Agreement between the United States of America, through the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation and the Upper Colorado River Commission, regarding the funding of a temporary Colorado River System Conservation Pilot Program in the Upper Colorado River Basin on January 6, 2023, to formally reinstate the SCPP.

The UCRC is currently seeking proposals immediately for the voluntary, compensated, and temporary water conservation projects and will review and select projects for implementation in 2023. The goal is to have water conservation projects underway in April 2023 to reduce consumptive uses in the Upper Colorado River Basin for the benefit of Lake Powell and the Colorado River system as a whole.

The SCPP is a significant step to begin to partially mitigate the water supply crisis in the Upper Colorado River Basin brought on by a drier climate and depleted storage. The SCPP will provide short-term reductions to reduce some impacts in the Upper Colorado River Basin.

The UDS, individually and through the UCRC, are committed to working with water users, tribes, NGOs, Reclamation, and other stakeholders to develop, fund, and implement new water conservation, recycling, and water efficiency projects that benefit the Upper Colorado River resources.

As the SCPP was only reauthorized for two years, the UDS and UCRC anticipate operating the SCPP for 2023, and potentially in 2024. They may also desire to transition to an Upper Basin Demand Management Program in subsequent years, which would require a new financial assistance agreement.

To launch the program and assist the UDS with application processing, a contractor will be engaged to the UCRC to provide administrative and technical support for program operations, including verifying details in applications, evaluating projects, reviewing and developing verification plans, estimating historical and conserved consumptive use, verifying project activities, and documenting the results of the program.

15.514 - Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief

USBR Upper Colorado Basin Region, Salt Lake City, UT (UC) [DOI - USBR]

Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) [DOI]

Utah United States

State-Wide

R-R-DO-23-007