Date: 02/13/2012

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB12-008

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK, & NATURAL RESOURCES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Moved to refer Senate Bill 12-008 to the CommitteePASS



01:49 PM -- Senate Bill 12-008

Representative Sonnenberg, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 12-008. Current law requires wells that pump from the Dawson aquifer to replace actual out-of-priority depletions, which are calculated using certain assumptions about water levels in the aquifer. The law also specifies that the replacement obligation for all Denver basin aquifers continues after pumping stops to compensate for depletions. This law is scheduled to repeal on July 1, 2012. As of this date, a new law will automatically become effective that will require wells that pump from the Dawson aquifer to use calculations based on actual aquifer conditions in order to replace stream depletions, instead of using assumptions about water levels in the aquifers. Additionally, depletion replacement after pumping ceases will be required only when there is a need to compensate for injurious depletions. There is currently no modeling tool available to calculate depletions according to actual aquifer conditions. Therefore, this bill postpones the repeal of the current law until July 1, 2015.

01:51 PM -- Kevin Rein, Division of Water Resources, spoke in support of the bill and explained why the State Engineer believes the date change is necessary. Mr. Rein answered questions from the committee concerning how the division makes groundwater rights determinations. Mr. Rein explained that the definition of "not nontributary" is groundwater that is in a bedrock aquifer and is neither tributary nor nontributary.
BILL:SB12-008
TIME: 02:06:11 PM
MOVED:Sonnenberg
MOTION:Moved to refer Senate Bill 12-008 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 13-0.
SECONDED:Coram
VOTE
Brown
Yes
Coram
Yes
Fischer
Yes
Jones
Yes
Looper
Yes
McKinley
Yes
Ryden
Yes
Scott
Yes
Vaad
Yes
Vigil
Yes
Wilson
Yes
Baumgardner
Yes
Sonnenberg
Yes
Final YES: 13 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS