DWR - Water Resource Engineer - Professional Engineer I

Company Info
State of Colorado
Denver and Surrounding Areas, CO, United States

Phone: 303-866-2667 *8644
Web Site: https://dwr.colorado.gov/

Company Profile
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Title:

DWR - Water Resource Engineer - Professional Engineer I

Location:

Glenwood Springs, CO 

Salary:

$6,577.00 - $9,971.00

Job ID:

73308
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Job Description:

This position exists to provide management to the Division 5 operations group responsible for Water Court activities. The Water Court related duties include to assist the public through the Water Court process; prepare expert witness reports; consult with the Water Court regarding Water Court applications; negotiate or provide expert engineering support / testimony to litigate any conditions necessary to protect existing water rights; and be the work lead for administrative staff. 
 
This position will also assist the Augmentation Plan group by providing engineering expertise and analysis necessary for the adjudication and administration of plans for augmentation; support water rights administration by developing methodologies to collect and analyze water diversion and delivery data to verify augmentation plan operators are operating in compliance with all applicable court decrees, statutes, rules and regulations; and provide assistance to the public in understanding Colorado water law.  

Duties include but are not limited to the following:
 
  • Manages day-to-day operations related to water court, including but not limited to: reviewing the monthly water court resume, assigning water court cases to the engineers, determining the water commissioner(s) to perform the field inspection(s) for each water court case, refining the processes utilized, and directing the Program Assistant's water court duties. These duties will be performed under the guidance and support of the Division Engineer.  
 
  • Utilizes knowledge of surface and ground water hydrology, geology, advanced computer programs, and Colorado water law, analyze Water Court applications, engineering reports, and proposed decrees to ensure compliance with law, sound engineering principals, and guidelines of the Division; negotiate necessary conditions with applicant’s engineers and attorneys; create Court exhibits and testify as an expert to support Division’s position at trials; formulate effective litigation strategy in coordination with Assistant Attorney Generals; create detailed written comments/recommendations for review with the Water Court Referee each month.       Negotiates settlement of disputes in consultation with the State and Division Engineers, including stipulations to resolve lawsuits.  
 
  • Determines or reviews the adequacy of water rights accounting and conformance with statutes, decrees, augmentation plans, and substitute water supply plans.        Reviews or creates computerized water use reporting forms for complex water use plans.  Reviews sources of augmentation to verify historic consumptive use and coordinate reporting of deliveries or operations associated with various sources.  Develops plans of administration for substitute water supply plans and reviews these plans with Water Commissioners.  Coordinates with local Water Commissioners to ensure plans are implemented and operated in accordance with approval conditions. Coordinates with a variety of staff members, consulting engineers and associations and entities to ensure records of plan operations are maintained properly.  Conducts field inspections of plans with local Water Commissioners.   This requires specialized engineering skills in both Surface and Ground Water Administration.  It also necessitates extensive coordination with water users, municipal and quasi-municipal entities and other plan proponents and managers to assure compliance with the approved augmentation plans.  
 
  • Meets with the public, both individually and groups, to explain general Colorado water law, augmentation plans, substitute water supply plans, enforcement actions undertaken and other matters related to the overall mission of the Colorado Division of Water Resources and Water Division 5.  Meets with water engineers and attorneys to discuss the requirements (and reasons for those requirements) of augmentation plans, substitute water supply plans, enforcement actions undertaken and other matters related to water administration.
 
Other duties as assigned.