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Suggestions Relating to the Reducti on of Groundwater-Surface Water <br /> Conflicts & Related Economic Costs in the South Platte Basin. <br /> Chuck Howe, Professor Emeritus of Economics, UCB, <br /> Campus Box 468, UCB, 80309 <br /> Office: 303-492 7245, Home: 720-562-8089 <br /> I have been working on the groundwater -surface water conflicts in our South <br />Platte Basin since the 1970's and have been tangentially involved with the Idaho <br />Department of Water Resource's attempts to resolve very similar conflicts on the <br />East Snake River Aquifer. I offer just a few brief remarks that may be useful to <br />the Task Force in its deliberations. <br /> 1) Appropriations doctrine ha s long served the western United States (and <br /> Colorado in particular) very we ll by allowing water supplies to be <br /> reallocated over time to meet changing and expanding demands.. <br /> 2) Appropriations doctrine ha s been surprisingly flexible in adapting to <br /> changing demographic, ag ricultural and climatic conditions. Examples of <br /> useful modifications would include conditional water rights, arrangements <br /> for out-of-priority diversions and st orage, recognition of instream uses <br /> (including recreation) as beneficial uses, legislativ e authorization of water <br /> banks in the major basins, authorizati on of rotating fallow lease plans, etc. <br /> These modifications have taken place while enforcing the "no injury rule", <br /> thus protecting property rights. <br /> Given this histor y, any modifications made to water law, water <br /> regulations and institutions will have to take place within the broad <br /> framework of appr opriations doctrine. <br />3) The calls on the river that have resu lted in the shut-down of wells in 2006 <br /> and 2007 have resulted in large economic net losses in the following <br /> forms: <br /> a) the immediate and complete shut-down of agricultural <br /> production on the affected farms; <br /> b) large related losses of income and employment in linked service <br /> and processing industries (ref. CWRRI completion report 207); <br /> c) substantial losses to other par ties like the cities of Boulder, <br /> Highlands Ranch and a large number of agricultura l ditches, all <br /> of whom were called out and had to forego valuable water <br /> diversions and storage as a result of the calls (Ellinghouse <br /> presentation to Sout h Platte Forum, Nov. 2006). <br /> d) unquantified loss of the optimal use of the aquifer as our most <br /> efficient type of storage a nd as an efficient distribution system <br /> (Ralf Topper, USGS, "Natur e's Underground Reservoir-Aquifer <br /> Storage", Roundtab le presentation, July 2006). <br />1 <br />