Date: 08/14/2007
Final
Alternative Agriculture Grant Program
WATER RESOURCES REVIEW COMMITTEE
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03:11 PM - South Platte River and Arkansas River Basins Alternative Agriculture Water Transfer Sustainability Grant Program
Rick Brown, Colorado Water Conservation Board, explained that the General Assembly appropriated $1.5 in Senate Bill 07-122 for a competitive grant program to advance various agricultural transfer methods as alternatives to permanent agricultural dry-up in the South Platte and Arkansas river basins. Eligible projects include interruptible water supply agreements, long-term agricultural land fallowing, water banks, reduced consumptive use through efficiency or cropping while maintaining historic return flows, and purchase by end users with leaseback under defined conditions. Mr. Brown explained that a committee will be formed to evaluate grant applications which will include water users and other affected interests. Proposed criteria for evaluating grants include feasibility, applicability to other areas of the state, and the quantity of water that is made available. He also distributed an update on the interbasin compact committee process, also known as the HB 05-1177 process (Attachment I).