WSP11224 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

2-10 . I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 0223 Co Loss of retail and wholesale trade will cause some local businesses to close or relocate outside the study area, redu~ng the vitality of the community and its attractiveness to new economic develoI1ment. , I Financial burdens are imposed upon other water user~. They frequently participate in water court cases for the purpose of protecting supplies, and m~st bear the expense of expert advice from attorneys, hydrologists, agronomists and water quality Consultants. Currently there is no provision for transfer of those expenses to applicants for a transfer, (except C.R.S. 37-92-304(3.5) as to mutual agricultural ditch shareholders) and the burden of ~hose expenses discourages objectors from addressing their concerns in court. An argument in f~vor of the existing process is that it imposes less restraint on the movement of water supplies to ,higher economic uses. Cost protection for objectors would further restrain these changes of use.f , Water transfers affect the social structure and intera<itions in the community. The overall quality and character of life can be undermined in areas where historical irrigation is suddenly terminated (Shupe, Weatherford and Checchio 1989, 429); the people of the area lose their psychological and cultural "roots" (Weber 1990b, 15); even in highly ~omogeneous communities, proposed water transfers create conflicting interpretations among resid4nts regarding the proper relationship between the physical and social environments and the proper rblationships among themselves (Greider and , Little 1988, 47). ' If community impacts are to be mitigated there is little consensus as to what would constitute fair and adequate mitigation, and who should judge the adequacy of mitigation. Possibilities include the courts, local government, or state government. Water fourts have a limited role in third party impact mitigation (Pratt 1988). Some mitigation proposa~ raise issues of who pays or who receives payment. Such proposals may include payments hI lieu of taxes; compensation to individuals, businesses or local governments; economicdevelopme~t efforts; "banking" of compensation measures; and requirements for severance-type payments. . 3. Environmental; riparian wetlands and plalhs ecosystems The ecology of the vicinity of a large ditch is influen~d by the quantity and quality of water, and variability in supply. Water use influences the soil, l>lant, and microclimate characteristics of the land. Irrigated lands and related hedgerows, wetlands, and reservoirs create important ecosystems for the eastern plains. Also derived from the environ~ent are recreation uses and aesthetic beauty, with attendant economic and social benefits. I , Regional environmental issues include: dryland habitat impacts, including hedgerows and drainage corridors; wetland habitat impacts, including wetlan~ arising from ditch and lateral seepage, surface waste flows and drains, outcrops of underground re~rn flows, tail water ponds, and return flow fed stock ponds; open water areas, including nesting, res~ing, and forage habitat for local and migratory waterfowl; possible influences upon endangered speres habitat.