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%r; OFFICE OF BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
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WI I C. PHONE: (303) 356-4000 EXT. 200
P.O. BOX 758
GREELEV, COLORADO 80631
COLORADO
July 30, 1979
Mr. Allan J. Campbell , Director
Colorado State Soil Conservation Board
618A State Centennial Building
1313 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Dear Mr. Campbell :
The Weld County Board of County Commissioners supports the State Soil Conservation
Board's application for funding of a Rural Clean Water Program project in the
Little Thompson River Basin in Larimer and Weld Counties, Colorado. This proposed
critical water quality project area has been identified in the Larimer-Weld
Region 208 Areawide Waste Treatment Management Plan and has been designated as a
top priority area for RCWP funding by the State Rural Clean Water Coordinating
Committee and the Governor ofthe State of Colorado. Roughly 2/3 of the project
area is located within Weld County.
Weld County is a designated management agency for agricultural water pollution
control in the Larimer-Weld 208 Water Quality Management Plan. It is our
understanding that the application requires a letter from the 208 management
agency certifying that the BMP's proposed for cost sharing are consistent with
the BMP's in the Larimer-Weld 208 Plan. We have reviewed the BMP's in the
application and find that all practices except two are contained in the adopted
Plan. The two practices which are not contained in the Plan are protective dikes
and streambank protection. These BMP's are being added to the 208 Plan through
administrative amendment and have been recommended to the Larimer-Weld Regional
Council of Governments by its 208 Areawide Planning Advisory Committee and the
Local Rural Clean Water Coordinating Committee for inclusion. We believe the
addition of these practices will contribute substantially to water pollution control
in the candidate RCWP Thompson Basin.
The Little Thompson Basin is a progressive agricultural area in Weld County. The
Local Clean Water Coordinating Committee, the State Soil Conservation Board and
the U.S.D.A. Soil Conservation Service have been actively discussing the RCWP
application in the Little Thompson area. As best as it is possible to tell in
this early application stage, there is great farmer interest in the RCWP project
for the Little Thompson. Based upon the perceptions of local interest of farmers
in the area by the staffs of the SCS, Larimer-Weld Coun:il of Governments and
members of the Local Clean Water Coordinating Committee from public meetings held
in the last few months, there appears to be sufficient interest to anticipate a
75 percent level of participation within five years of project initiation. The
1/1/47)%
Mr. Allan J. Campbell
July 30, 1979
Page 2
ability to assure such a level of participation will undoubtedly depend upon
satisfactory cost-share rates for specific BMP's and the economic benefits
which can be passed on to the farmer by implementing management practices for
agricultural pollution control .
As required by the draft Rural Clean Water Program Procedures Manual , this letter
is intended to meet certification requirements for consistency of BMP's with
the adopted 208 Plan and to assure a sufficient level of farmer participation to
warrant expenditure of RCWP funds in the Little Thompson Basin.
We look forward to the State Soil Conservation Board's successful request for
RCWP funds to implement best management practices in the Little Thompson River
Basin.
Sincerely,
9—b r--4 �ie-nG� sf
Norman Carlson, Chairman
Board of Weld County Commissioners
NC:TLT:clb
cc Terry L. Trembly, LWRCOG
John Lebsack, Chairman, LCWCC
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MEMO
DATE: July 26, 1979
TO: Weld County Commissioners
Larimer County Commissioners
FROM: Terrence L. Trembly, 208 Project Manager
SUBJECT: Rural Clean Water Program for Little Thompson Basin -
Results of Public Meetings and Requirements of 208
Management Agencies
Last night, July 25, 1979, at 8:00 p.m. a public meeting was held in the Berthoud
National Bank, 350 Mountain Avenue, Berthoud. The purpose of the meeting was
to review with local farmers in the Little Thompson River an application for
federal funding of a cost share program to implement best management practices
for agricultural water pollution control . This program is the Rural Clean
Water Program, authorized under Section 208(j) of the 1977 Amendments to the
Federal Clean Water Act. This program is currently being considered for
funding by the 96th Congress (approximately $75 million for 30 projects nation-
wide).
The objective of the meeting was to determine local support for implementing the
program and the willingness of individual farm owner-operators to financially
participate in the cost sharing program. Approximately 30 persons attended the
public meeting.
Background
This public meeting was proceeded by three meetings with a Local Clean Water
Coordinating Committee, created specifically for the purpose of directing
activities in the Little Thompson Basin ( if the RCWP project is funded) , twe
other meetings with interested farmers in the basin and numerous discussions , field
trips and work sessions with technical assistance personnel from the U.S.D.A. Soil
Conservation Service, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service,
Colorado Soil Conservation Board, the Larimer-Weld 208 Areawide Planning Committee
and the Larimer-Weld COG Governing Board.
In addition , funding for this project was sought by the Larimer-Weld Regional
Council of Governments back in November, 1977 as a Model Implementation Project
for best management practices for irrigated agriculture.
While individual farm owner-operators do have reservations about the general
concept of on-farm practices to control water pollution, all public meetings and
work sessions on the proposed funding of the Little Thompson project have
received very strong local support.
-2--
My personal assessment, backed by the Local Clean Water Coordinating Committee,
chaired by Mr. John Lebsack, President of the Big Thompson Soil Conservation
District, is that there is substantial interest in the program. The Committee
believes that a great deal of education will need to he carried out if the
program is funded, to encourage farmers in the Little Thompson to participate.
The program is completely voluntary. It has financial incentives to
encourage the farmer to carry out certain "best management practices" (BMP's) contained
in the adopted 208 Water Quality Management Plan for Larimer-Weld Counties ,
Colorado. Benefits in addition to water pollution control can be soil and water
conservation as well as possible improvements to economical farm
operations.
Action Required by 208 Management Agency
Draft guidelines covering the RCWP program require that 208 management agencies
(Larimer and Weld Counties) prepare a letter certifying that the BMP' s to be cost
shared are consistent with the BMP' s in the 208 Plan and that the 208 management
agencies insure and set out a strategy for reaching an adequate level of program
participation (possibly 75% within 5 years) .
This letter must accompany the funding application. The application is currently
being prepared by the State Soil Conservation Board and must be submitted to
Washington, D.C. by August 1 .
Recommendations from LWRCOG Staff
The BMP' s eligible for cost sharing are contained in the 208 Plan. Two new
practices are being added (stream bank protection and protective dikes) through
administrative amendment to the Plan.
Based on public input from local farmers in the area who are familiar with the
program and the assessment of the Local Clean Water Coordinating Committee, it
appears that a 75% level of participation is achievable in a 5 year period. There
are no sanctions against a 208 management agency if that participation level is
not achieved.
LWRCOG staff will prepare a letter for the 208 management agency signatures. The
letter will certify that the BMP' s are in the 208 Plan and contain a qualified
assurance of "an adequate level of participation" .
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COLORADO STATE SOIL CONSERVATION BOARD
618A State Centennial Building
Richard D. Lamm 1313 Sherman Street Allen J.Campbell
Governor Denver,Colorado 80203 Director
Phone 839-3351
July 12, 1979
Mr. Terry Trembly
208 Director
Larimer-Weld COG
201 E. 4th
Loveland, Colorado 80537
Dear Terry:
The RCWP seven-person coordinating committee for the Little Thompson
Basin is of excellent composition.
A problem existed whereby the logistics of carrying out a good RCWP
project, according to the suggested RCWP guidelines, were almost im-
possible in the Little Thompson Basin. Two counties , two ASCS County
Committees and three SCDs along with the COG and SCS would have been
burdensome to the State Board as administering agency for RCWP.
The seven-person committee, as we see it, allows for equal represent-
ation from the above units of government. John Lebsack is an excellent
chairman representing the SCDs; James Svedman, Larimer County ASCS will
be a good representative for ASCS; Ray Reeb from the Northern Colorado
Water Conservancy District is very knowledgeable on all water issues .
Don Lemon, Gary Grommon and Howard Buehler are all prominent farmers
within the basin.
You , as 208 Director in the two-county region, will add tremendously
to the committee.
We hope that the committee will assume large responsibilities in mak-
ing the Little Thompson RCWP project a success .
Sincerely,
Allen J. Campbell . iC
ii
Copy: Robert Halstead
vfr 4.
Table 5. 2
% Cost Share Rate
BHP Recommended by LRCWCC
Irrigation canal, lateral 75
& ditch lining
Pipelines replacing canals,
laterals & ditches 75
Gated pipe 35 6
Land leveling 75
(Includes dead level)
Sprinkler system 30 r
(limited) 1/
Irrigation water mgt. N/C
Tailwater recycling 80
Sediment ponds 80
Filter strips 75
Grassed waterway 75
Streambank protection 2/ 80
Protective dikes 2/ 75
Subsurface drains 50
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1/ Limited to permanent pipelines and appurtanences.
2/ To be added to 208 plan. k,
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