South Platte 12-13-05 Minutes Summary

Home Browse Search

Board of the Northern District has concerns about impact of drift of base water supply in the area in Metro Denver; base water supply leaves and the jurisdiction now must rely on supplemental supplies. Concern is that return flows stay in the basin. By profession, Mr. Brown is a water rights attorney practicing in Ft Collins since 1969 with a focus on water rights and water quality matters; clients have included those from Bailey to Julesburg; represents 3 municipalities in the Denver Metro area: Littleton, NOlthglenn, and Brighton, thus, can also see legitimate needs of these areas, but has concern that water should not come fi-om northern areas. The repOlter fi-om agricultural journal made a statement with which he agrees: the goal to protect base water supply by Denver metro area, may lead many farmers and owners of water rights to sell, and this is not in the best interest to region as a whole. The northern district needs are important, thus, perhaps the need exists to explore agricultural agreement in a form similar to that of interstate compacts with other basins whereby there are defined contributions to all basins to the Denver metro are in exchange for compensatory storage. Agriculture impacts all basins that contribute; northern area should not be the only ones that sacrifice. Of key concern: how to provide water to cities but keep agricultural viable; thus, wells and aug water also of key impOltance. 17) Courtney Brand: Colorado Springs Utilities: Non-voting at large member. Colorado Springs has water rights and facilities within the basin: CO Spgs owns and operates Montgomery Reservoir--junior right--; Montgomery is used as a Blue River Collection System; water is brought from Hooser Tunnel over Hooser Pass. Other water rights in basin: Homestake Pipeline from Twin Lakes Reservoir and Pipeline across Park County; previously, water was diverted at Lake George. The Homestake Pipeline is operated by the city and covered by the South Platte Protection Plan. Overall, most supplies of Colorado Springs come fi-om Colorado River Basin and Arkansas River. The Springs is interested in anything that deals with solutions; has interests in water solutions that would be involved in bringing water fi-om the Colorado basin with the use of Hooser tunnel; Colorado Springs' growth looking at an annual need of 180,000 acft per year by 2040; currently the need is at 90,000. 18) Bill Steininger: Northern end ofEl Paso County, Division 1 of South Platte; El Paso County: issues: non-renewable ground water -what will future water supply be from the South Platte. 19) Rick Anderson: Adams County: Resource Manager. POltfolio of water rights owned by County shows that most are used on agricultural properties; the County is active in recording conservation easements. Agricultural use converting to urbanization; There has been an active period of gravel mining in last 25 years; much of this is coming to halt and these properties are now being claimed as storage facilities. RE: jurisdictions outside of oversight of Adams County: there is concern about the unincorporated areas where Adams County has not been a water provider in past, but with urbanization, the County is also looking at possible use of 1041 regs. Interests: how to keep some of these water rights evenly distributed. 20) Leon Allen: Cheyenne County: County's problem is growth but a lack of growth; the County has lost population since the last census. The County is thinly 5