|
<br />f f f ~'
<br />(I' _' (I' .' (I' _', (I' ,
<br />,:., ..'..,:$OUTa.-_PMTTJ~:,RIVER,~~I~ TASK~l?O~CE2:^'
<br />.. .;~~ I =.or:' .... ~'~"~:" . .:.....;.~ ... ;~~ I =.or:' .... ~'~"~:" .,.:.....; .... .. .;~~ I =.or:' .... ~.~..~:.. . .:.....;..... ... ,04
<br />rI'" ~o '. ....t~l ~rI~uly' ~'~t~?OQ7 rI'" ~o '. ....t~l
<br />
<br />~~ . - '. "" . . ~~ -. - '. "" . . ~~ . - '. ~ .
<br />
<br />. r- ", i '~:'" ";;,.~' .N~r,~he~ster~J ,J~,~io.r ~CC?llege i'~:'i, ";;,.~' :. ~. ",
<br />" ,04 ~~ 5t 1004 C' i' d ' " ,04 . y' ,
<br />,,' ':'-', ,~,.',.,'~,.:-':",.' .,' er. 1n\9" '.0 ora 0 ,'- ~. :-,',. ,
<br />
<br />.r..... . - I,' . ~. ..t. . ". - I,' . ~. ..t. ..... . -
<br />: }-.!; : }-.!; : }-.!;
<br />
<br />rI'"
<br />:~
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />".'. "
<br />
<br />The meeting was called to order at 10:15 a.m. by Director Harris Sherman
<br />and Commissioner Stulp
<br />
<br />Harris Sherman welcomed everyone to the second meeting of the South Platte
<br />River Task Force, He stated that the purpose of this meeting is to continue and
<br />complete the public testimony portion of the proceedings and he asked the
<br />presenters to keep their comments to ten minutes, Written materials will be
<br />accepted and everything received will be part of public record and posted on the
<br />website.
<br />
<br />. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
<br />
<br />Public presentations were made by the following individuals:
<br />
<br />Mayor Donald Jones - Mayor of the City of Sterling
<br />Was a Member of the Sterling Irrigation Company. They use about 5,000
<br />acre-feet water annually for standard household use and commercial use for
<br />agriculture~related industries, They have an ethanol plant, a prison, and a
<br />number of businesses that depend on agriculture and water, This is agriculture-
<br />based community, Their concerns are that any change to prior appropriation
<br />means they can't guarantee the citizens their water, It is critical to work together
<br />and they depend on the laws to be the law, The key issue is to ensure a water
<br />supply because it is critical for agriculture and their long-term survival. The only
<br />solution to the problem is to store water when there is excess,
<br />
<br />Alan Foutz - President of Colorado Farm Bureau and he farms near Akron
<br />(provided handout
<br />http://www.aq.state.co.us/com m issioner/southplatte/716testimonv ,pdt)
<br />Colorado is one of the most agriculture-productive areas in U,S, and it is
<br />imperative to maintain the viability of agriculture along the South Platte area,
<br />The major issue is the need to make more timely decisions regarding managing
<br />water resources, He recommended reversing the decisions that were made
<br />earlier and move some authority to the State Engineer's Office to allow the State
<br />Engineer to more effectively manage the water resources, The Farm Bureau is a
<br />staunch supporter of the priority system; continue to use water on first-in-time
<br />
|