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<br />of farmland. Concerns are similar to those articulated above by Bill Brown. <br />Return flows are of crucial importance to the area; these are the water rights: from <br />Kersey to the State line, water is used and reused 7 times; thus, in this area, River <br />gains from return flows. <br />26) Gary Herman: At large member: Central Colorado Water Conservancy District <br />Board. Wells and augmentation are huge concern; currently working with <br />municipalities on effluent projects; storage projects in works. Mr. Herman farms <br />6 miles east on US 85 and owns rights in a ditch with 862 water rights. He is the <br />Secretary of the Board of that ditch company and, thus, sees dynamics of use of <br />water in South Platte. <br />27) Bill Ray: Deputy City Manager of Arvada; represents Jefferson County <br />municipalities. Mr. Ray has mostly worked on Western Slope and thus sees a <br />different perspective from other parts of the State regarding growth and <br />development. Main concern: how to plan for growth. Mr. Ray echoes the <br />comments of the Elbert County representative: the next million people will be our <br />children; thus, the dynamic different. <br />28) Chuck Powell: Sedgwick County <br />and <br />29) Bruce Gerk: Sedgwick County Municipalities: Sedgwick: "the County that is out <br />of water." Main concern of the County: the need to use water efficiently before it <br />flows to Nebraska: focus is on the amount of water at the Julesburg Bridge. <br />Sedgwick is 30 miles by 26 miles and only 1/3 of the County is in the South Platte <br />Basin, 2/3rd is in the Republican Basin; there are 2,600 people in county. The <br />main problem facing the municipalities: water quality issue. The State wants to <br />keep water in Colorado; it thinks of capturable water, rather than the amount of <br />water that leaves state; it is difficult to capture with the systems that are in place; <br />the ditches in Sedgwick county that deliver have agricultural sources; Sedgwick <br />has the only reservoir in the South Platte Basin that is responsible to the Compact; <br />thus, return flows extremely important. Sedgwick is at the tail end of the irrigation <br />system; it is a small County with no growth and, thus, suffers from water policy; <br />there is a need to be careful to make assumptions that the end of the state, short <br />from ditches above it, can deal with the requirements of the Compact. <br />30) Fred Walker: Windsor, President of Weld County Farm Bureau; At large member. <br />Main concern: "keep agricultural viable." Farming operations changing in Weld <br />County: consolidating into larger operations which are typically anchored with a <br />piece of land with water rights and then rents from absentee landowners the rest <br />of the land; so numbers are shrinking but operations are growing. A desire to be <br />in control of own destiny permeates: does not want yet another government entity <br />to protect their future right to farm (within context of irrigated land). Hope is that <br />as we go through the process, we do not gravitate to extremes; there is a lot of <br />water for everyone to use; some water can stay in agricultural, give flexibility to <br />farmers to plan own futures. 3rd generation on our farm provides perspective. <br />Thornton bought 48% of company; this was a "shot gun marriage" in which the <br />farming company was forced to work with a municipality and had to learn to live <br />with the urban cousins and understand the competing interests. Concern: there <br />needs to be recognition for private property rights and willingness of farmers to <br /> <br />7 <br />