Date: 09/17/2014
Final
Public Testimony
WATER RESOURCES REVIEW COMMITTEE
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03:07 PM -- Public Testimony
Representative Fischer recognized the following individuals who signed up to testify:
03:07 PM -- Glen Colton, representing himself, testified regarding "water-related carrying capacity." He believes it is impossible to double the population of the state between now and 2050, and argued that there simply is not enough water to support such a large number of people.
03:10 PM -- Diane Marschke, representing herself, was concerned that the SWP had not been advertised to the general public, making it difficult for her and other members of the public to prepare to discuss it. She believes that residential conservation efforts will not proceed until water is more expensive. She believes that the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) threatens the Poudre River.
03:13 PM -- Kevin McCarty, representing Little Thompson Watershed Restoration Coalition, thanked the CWCB for enabling watershed coalitions to organize. He stated that municipal conversions have not happened because available water supply is insufficient. He reported that, in Pinewood Springs, there are places where the river is running dry, and that for him, the gap is not in 2050, but rather right now. Mr. McCarty noted that the Little Thompson is not currently mentioned in the South Platte BIP.
03:16 PM -- Richard Kommrusch, representing Fort Collins Community Action Network, suggested that the baseline projections used to prepare the SWP overestimate the amount of water that will be available in the future due to climate change.
03:17 PM -- Carole Hossan, an artist representing herself, stated that while there is emphasis placed on efficiency and production in the SWP, less emphasis has been placed on the beauty and tranquility of the river. She believes that more consideration should be given to nature rather than to economic growth.
03:19 PM -- Theresa Conley, representing Conservation Colorado, thanked the Committee and other legislators for their interest in the SWP, as well as members of the CWCB. Ms. Conley suggested that there is a lot of room for innovation in the SWP, and that innovation should focus on demand management. She asked whether drinking water needs to be used to water roadway medians, and cited New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins as an example of successful demand management. She also identified a need to connect land use with water use, more flexibility for water sharing, and for additional data on nonconsumptive needs, and noted that this would require additional funding.
03:22 PM -- Dick Jefferies, representing Rocky Mountain Flycasters, a local chapter of Trout Unlimited, thanked the Committee and the South Platte Basin Roundtable. He recognized that one subcommittee of the roundtable considers environmental and recreational issues, which are important to him. State chapters of Trout Unlimited believe that the SWP needs to protect and restore healthy streams, improve streamflows, include environmental and recreational needs in the structure of water planning, and identify ways to address the disconnect that exists between the development community and local government, and overuse of water for development purposes. Mr. Jefferies believes that SB 14-023 and HB 14-1026 represent progress, and that trans-basin diversions are bad options.
03:25 PM -- Dale Karlin, representing the Larimer County Farmers' Union, said that water issues are interrelated. She believes that agricultural producers should work with CSU to develop farming techniques that conserve water. She suggested that municipalities focus on conservation, graywater usage, and new technologies that allow for wastewater reclamation. She suggested that the industrial sector, including oil and gas producers, mitigate the effects of their industry on the water supply.
03:27 PM -- Kevin Jones, representing the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, suggested that current shortfalls are due to past failures to plan, and that the water supply in Northern Colorado should be increased. He identified storage at Halligan Reservoir, demand management, and water reuse as available strategies, and suggested that water waste be punished.
03:29 PM -- David Smeltzer, representing himself, suggested that population limits be discussed in the SWP, since growth in population will eventually outstrip available supply. He stated that healthy rivers and streams are important, and that the Upper Colorado River is an example of an overappropriated river that has lost insects and aquatic habitats as a result.
03:31 PM -- Gary Wockner, representing Save the Poudre, testified that a coalition of environmental organizations believe the information presented in the South Platte BIP is controversial, and suggested that the legislatures should ensure that CWP does not endorse any water supply projects. He believes that dams and reservoirs destroy rivers, and that restoring rivers should take precedence. He suggested that the state should not fund water projects or streamline the permitting process for projects.
03:33 PM -- Lloyd Walker, representing himself, testified that the trapezoidalizing of streambeds for flood control has adverse effects, because water bodies need to expand during times of high flows without regard to human structures. He argued that water law should not limit water conversation, and that there are opportunities for water law to be changed. Other opportunities include conservation in agriculture. He also suggested that plenty of storage already exists, in the form of the South Platte alluvial aquifer, which needs to be managed properly. Finally, he suggested that future water use will not be directly correlated to population growth, because more urbanization will result in declining per capita water use. He recommended that land use and water use be more closely coordinated.
03:37 PM -- Robert Longenbaugh, representing himself, objected to provisions of the South Platte BIP that claim that there is no unappropriated water in the South Platte. He also suggested that the SWP attempt to prevent waste. He questioned why so much water is sent to Nebraska, and that water sent out of state is, in effect, wasted in the South Platte Basin. He also recommended that phreatophytes be controlled and that beneficial use of surface water and groundwater be maximized.
03:39 PM -- Joseph Piesman, representing himself, testified that the goal is to balance the needs of agricultural, municipal, and recreational users, whom he described as "people who love the river." He suggested that maintenance of minimum flows is important to fishers, birders, and anyone who walks along the river and enjoys it.
03:42 PM -- Jim Eartman, a retired geologist representing himself, testified that population growth is exponential, and that the limits on the environment's carrying capacity are significant. He suggested that the energy crisis is not a crisis of technology, but morality, and argued that the need for natural places in the future is an important one. He also discussed the need to reduce water consumption for lawns.
03:46 PM -- Sue Reed, representing herself, thanked the roundtables for their work. She testified that it is unlikely that conservation alone will be able to bring the basin through droughts, and that there ought to be emphasis on technology and storage as well.
03:47 PM -- Gina Janett, representing herself, thanked the Committee for visiting Fort Collins. She believes that the roundtable did not include enough environmental participants, and that it was dominated by water user constituencies instead. She asked the Committee to remove the NISP from the SWP, because it would severely damage the Poudre River. She recommended that demand management be maximized prior to developing new water sources and commended the two largest breweries in the area, Anheuser-Busch and New Belgium, for reducing water use substantially.
03:51 PM -- Joe Duda, representing Colorado State Forest Service, explained that much of Colorado's water supply is derived from high country forests and testified that watersheds suffer the same fate that forests themselves do. The devastating effects of wildfire remove plants that filter water, and result in additional erosion. Management of healthy forests is important to ensure a healthy river system.
03:53 PM -- Chris Kraft, a dairy farmer representing himself, testified that NISP has no intention of hurting the Poudre River. He suggested that NISP would actually enhance the river rather than damage it. His community in Fort Morgan would benefit from additional storage. He also argued that agricultural use is truly city use, in that farmers produce food consumed in cities along the Front Range.
03:55 PM -- Peter Bridgman, an immigrant representing his two grandchildren, identified himself as part of the problem as someone who moved to the state and now drinks water. He suggested that more water storage and more conservation is imperative, and that we are scratching the surface of both. He thanked the roundtable for its work, but suggested that part of the problem is municipal users who like their green lawns. He suggested that the oil and gas industry has a large positive economic impact in Weld County, but that the industry uses a lot of water. He asked the Committee to require that the oil and gas industry recycle the water it uses back to the quality at which they bought it.
03:59 PM -- Terry Farrill, representing Fort Collins-Loveland Water District, testified that the state needs to be a strong advocate for permits for water projects at the federal level, and that the NISP will enhance the flow of the river during months when it is currently low.
04:01 PM -- Nancy York, representing herself, thanked the Committee for its attendance. She argued that NISP will not benefit the Poudre River. She suggested instead that the challenge posed by a growing population must be met through conservation. She suggested that water harvesting, as practiced in Arizona, could be a useful approach. She suggested that the state not build massive storage, but conserve water and electricity instead.
04:05 PM -- Tim Johnson, representing himself, encouraged the Committee to have meetings at night in the future so that other people can attend. He suggested that structural alternatives, like NISP and dams on the Colorado River, provide a fraction of the benefits of non-structural alternatives, and do so at a very high cost. He also pointed out that projecting future use based on current use is not likely to result in an accurate estimate, and suggested that new growth should pay its own way.
04:08 PM -- Roni Sylvester, representing herself, argued that the SWP's first priority should be to fortify existing water rights according to prior appropriation. She reminded the Committee that water in the South Platte basin is someone's property, and that it has been bought and sold.
04:10 PM
With public testimony complete, Representative Fischer thanked CSU and the Colorado Water Institute and acknowledged the dedication of his committee members.
Roger Hoffman submitted written testimony on the draft Colorado Water Plan (Attachment A).
Attachment A.pdf
Andy Jones, Steve Malers, and George Wallace, Poudre Basin Water Sharing Working Group, submitted written comments on the Colorado Water Plan (Attachment B).
Attachment B.pdf
04:11 PM
Representative Fischer adjourned the meeting.