Date: 07/20/2015
Final
BILL SUMMARY for Public Testimony
WATER RESOURCES REVIEW COMMITTEE
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06:50 PM -- Public Testimony
06:50 PM
Judy Garrigues, Dolores Conservation District, spoke on the history of her district. She stated that the district has become more important in times of increased scarcity, particularly with respect to soil health.
06:52 PM
Travis Custer, Dolores Conservation District, stated that a small increase in organic matter could result in a large increase in groundwater storage capacity. He spoke in support of the sections of Chapter 10 that call for improved soil health, and called for the endorsement of farming practices including rotational fallowing. He advocated additional language identifying conservation districts as partners, in addition to the state and federal agencies in Chapters 6 and 9.
06:57 PM
Kate Greenberg, National Young Farmers Coalition, distributed materials from her organization to members of the committee (Attachment C). She called for emphasizing the need for an educational assistance program that encourages young people to choose careers in farming. She stated that the statewide average farmer age is over 60, and suggested that access to land and capital need to be improved. She also spoke in support of the integration of water and land use planning.
Attachment C.pdf
07:02 PM
Ed Millard, representing himself, called for discussion of a target population considering constraints on the state's water resources. He stated that Colorado is planning for overbuilding and overdevelopment, and that the state should instead target a smaller, sustainable population that can allow for preservation of the state's quality of life. He also asked for page 3 the Southwest Basin Implementation Plan to be rewritten to make it easier to understand. He stated his concern that instream flows in the Southwest Basin were being used to meet compact obligations while allowing additional transmountain diversion of water from other basins.
07:06 PM
John Ott, representing James Ranch and Animas Water Company, spoke in favor of additional soil health preservation, calling it an effective means of storage.
07:08 PM
Dick Ray, representing Archuleta County Farm Bureau, spoke in opposition to additional growth and development in Southwest Colorado. He suggested that Colorado is approaching its human carrying capacity, and called for a slower pace of growth.
07:16 PM
Bruce Whitehead, Executive Director, Southwest Water Conservation District, spoke in support of additional reservoir storage. He identified additional reservoir storage as the primary way to meet future demand, and spoke in favor of placing reservoir storage in the Front Range where demand is growing. He also spoke in favor of the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP), a storage project in Larimer County.
07:19 PM
Steve Harris, Member, Interbasin Compact Committee, spoke in support of a sales tax increase, at a rate of less than 1 percent, to fund water infrastructure projects. He suggested that an increase could be approved by voters if the tax were identified as being levied specifically to address water needs. He also explained that a 70 percent indoor, 30 percent outdoor goal is realistic because of the rapid growth of residential development in the Denver area.
07:30 PM
Jake Gardanier, Southwest Farm Bureau, asked why the state should not build additional reservoirs in the South Platte Basin. Representative Becker stated his agreement with additional storage in principle, but spoke in favor of higher mountain reservoirs in order to allow use by downstream Colorado residents. Senator Hodge called for the integration of land and water use planning on the Front Range, particularly with respect to the development of new residential subdivisions, and called for flood mitigation.
07:34 PM
Don Schwindt, representing himself, asked whether the committee had prepared a response to the statewide water plan, and how the plan would be used in the future. Senator Roberts replied that she views the outcome of the plan as calling for a reallocation of resources at a time when the state faces other obligations to education, Medicaid, non-water infrastructure, and other needs. She stated that there was no clear way to stop additional in-migration to the state. Representative Coram spoke in support of water salvaging. He also called for the return of money used for the General Fund budget to the severance tax allocation, and called for the exploration of nontraditional water solutions, like pumpback. Representative Mitsch Bush said that the statewide water plan promotes dialogue, but that the current draft plan appears to lack funding mechanisms. She suggested that the state may need to seek either tax revenue or bonding authority from voters. She spoke about the inevitability of a Colorado River Compact call, and spoke against the creation of new transmountain diversions for this reason.
07:46 PM
John Porter, representing Southwestern Water Conservation District, stated that Referendum A had failed because voters perceived it as a top-down approach without clearly identified projects. He suggested that grassroots approach might generate more support from voters.
07:47 PM
Senator Roberts thanked Director Eklund and Governor Hickenlooper for their involvement of the General Assembly in the water planning process, and thanked the audience for their attendance.
07:48 PM
The meeting adjourned.