Reservoir Releases For Fish And Wildlife Mitigation

Water storage rights - newly constructed or enlarged reservoirs - fish and wildlife mitigation plan - mitigation release - protection from diversion and use. The act establishes a water court process by which an owner of a water storage right allowing water to be stored in a newly constructed reservoir or an enlarged existing reservoir may comply with the mitigation measures identified in a fish and wildlife mitigation plan by contracting with the Colorado water conservation board to dedicate to the board, pursuant to a water court decree, an amount of water for release into, and protection from diversion and use through, a qualifying stream reach to avoid, minimize, or mitigate the probable impacts that the newly constructed or expanded reservoir has on fish and wildlife resources.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)