Script Writing:

Television and movie viewers have a short attention span. They (we) are used to our stories broken into 8 minute segments before commercial breaks or scene changes. Going past this time and you will lose your audience.

Start with an idea, break it down into an outline and fill in the blanks. Then connect a visual to go with each sentence. If the shot is too expensive to get, rewrite it.

Baughan Productions researched and collaborated with several experts to write this script for "Colorado River Diversions: Where East Meets West"

AUDIENCE:

State policy makers and Front Range water users

GOAL:

Educate the viewer about the source of much of the water available to the Front Range. Identify how these diversions from the Upper Colorado River Basin impact the headwater communities. This includes explaining the Continental Divide with existing trans-mountain diversions and the impacts of these diversions.

The body of this video will describe sources of Front Range water in headwater counties, where the water diverted from these regions will go, and explore the trans-mountain diversions’ impact to the headwaters area. Topics include the recreation-based economy, reduction of water quality, and the water needs of local agricultural users. A success story of cooperation will conclude the program. This 10- minute video will include interviews with experts, minimal narration and visuals with graphics.

MESSAGE:

Much of the water for Front Range uses comes from diversions out of the Colorado River headwaters. These existing diversion structures can take much more water with no additional approvals or projects, and increased East Slope water use limits the quality of life and environment in the headwaters region.

ACTION:

Use this knowledge when considering future water supply options and policy decisions regarding water and growth.

OPEN

Quick close-ups of water use.
Running shower heads, running faucets with a filling glass, running washing machine, toilet flushing and stock video of irrigation.

snow falling, ice melting from stream skiing, rafting and fishing shots.

A fisherman walks down a mostly dry stream bed and casts his line. A close-up of the lure bounces on the dry bed. Close-up of the disappointed fisherman as he turns and walks away.

NARRATOR

Colorado is a semi-arid state with the majority of its water coming from winter snow fall in the Rocky Mountains and its spring melt into streams and rivers.

This water is used for much more than drinking. It's the reason most of us live here.

If the streams run dry, we will lose things that we hold valuable.

Animated GRAPHICs

GRAPHIC OF STATE WITH ANIMATION FOLLOWING THE NARRATION.
Phases of the graphic to include:
1. Overall Map of Colorado;
2. Line of the Continental Divide;
3. Arrows heading east and west as narrator is describing Continental Divide.
4. Colorado River Drainage – balloon arrows spread out over East Slope.

Narrator

The Continental Divide forms a natural drainage barrier through North America. It follows the Rocky Mountains, through the State of Colorado.

Water from the west side flows to the Pacific Ocean while water from the east side flows towards the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.

At least, it used to be that way. Transmountain-diversions have moved the water from west to east. There are currently over two dozen water diversions through the Colorado’s Continental Divide, ranging from simple canals to major tunnels burrowed under the mountains.

NARRATOR

Most of Colorado’s population lives to the east of the Rocky Mountains, but most of Colorado’s water supply naturally flows to the west. Trans-mountain diversions were built to overcome this barrier to development of the denver metropolitan area..

Most of the diverted water comes from the Upper Colorado River Drainage. Over half of its native flow, about half a million acre feet is diverted.

As the population of the Front Range grows, these diversion structures will take even more water from the Western Slope, causing negative impacts tothe state’s major recreation areas.

Impacts include loss of rafting and boating opportunities, reduced fisheries, limitations on snowmaking for ski areas, lower reservoir levels, and impacts to the natural aquatic environment.

INTERVIEW

JAMES NEWBERRY/ COUNTY COMMISIONER GRAND COUNTY

Message: Diversions are 100% consumptive, impact quality and way of life, tax base potential.

NARRATOR:

Most of the headwaters’ economy is based on tourism and the main reason people come here is directly related to water. in fact, tourism is the state’s number one industry.

INTERVIEW:

Tim Mack – Frisco Public Works

Message: the impacts of the lower reservoir level on the Frisco Marina.

NARRATOR:

The reduction of water flow from trans-mountain diversions causes several problems for Colorado’s headwater communities.

For example, in several areas heavy metals seep from abandoned mines into nearby streams creating a toxic environment for aquatic life. In other areas, sediment smothers aquatic life without the benefit of spring runoff and its flushing flows.

Clean water taken by diversions out of the stream can amplify these problems by reducing the dilution or the flushing of these pollutants. As water quality is reduced by diversions, the stream ecosystem suffers and potential remedial opportunities are confounded.

INTERVIEW:

Bill McKee, WQCD

Message: Same areas with major diversion are historic mining districts, as more clean water is diverted concentrations from seeping mines increase which aggravates impacts to aquatic life

NARRATOR:

Small towns continue to spend more to upgrade their wastewater treatment plants to deal with reduced stream flows.

INTERVIEW:

Bruce Hutchins

Message: How out of basin diversions impact local wastewater treatment. Explain why treatment costs go up if dilution reduced, ask “why should their rate payers bear the burden of these additional costs when they didn’t create the problem?

NARRATOR:

Further downstream, Ranchers feel the pressure of diversions, especially during low water years.

INTERVIEW:

GEORGE “Chip” STARK/ TROUT UNLIMITED

Topics to include: Cost to agriculture/Out of basin impacts to fish

NARRATOR:

Often the effects of major out of basin diversions are not fully understood.

INTERVIEW:

John Coffman
Topics to include: Pesky Flood flows that diverters take actually help with late summer return flows to Roaring Fork river, in the same way that agricultural ditch losses and irrigation provide late season stream flows. Damage to stream is twice, at the time of diversion and later with the loss of late season return flows.
They define channels and recharge wetlands. Flow depletions extend beyond the immediate diversion, loss of late summer return flows due to wetland releases, similar to ag ditch losses.

NARRATOR:

available water for a given year is based on how much snow falls the year before.

runoff from snow accounts for up to 85% of Colorado’s water supply. summer rains can not make up the deficit from a low snow year.

When stream flows are low, the amount of water diverted to the front range is actually more because irrigation demands go up in dry years.

Demand for water will increase with a growing population. The supply will not. New water projects need to be located where there ‘s adequate water to justify their development.

INTERVIEW:

Rick Sackbauer

A success story of cooperation

NARRATOR:

Much of the water for Front Range use comes from diversions out of the Colorado River headwaters.

These existing diversions can take considerably more water with no additional approvals or projects.

increased East Slope water use decreases the quality of life and environment in the headwaters region.

When considering future water supply options and policy decisions regarding water, Please consider these impacts to the headwater communities.

CREDITS:

The water quality & quantity committee of the North West Colorado Of Governments includes these counties:, Grand, , Eagle, Park, Summit, , Pitkin, and Gunnison, Colorado.