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<br />-. <br />COloraDO Farm Bureau <br /> <br />9177 East Mineral Circle. Englewood, Colorado 80112 . (303) 749-7500 . FAX (303) 749-7703 <br />Mailing Address: PO. Box 5647, Denver, Colorado 80217 <br /> <br />July 16, 2007 <br /> <br />Testimony regarding surface vs ground water use in the South Platte Basin <br />Dr. Alan Foutz, President <br />Colorado Farm Bureau <br /> <br />Good morning ladies and gentlemen. My name is Alan Foutz and I am the President of the <br />Colorado Farm Bureau and a farmer from Akron, Colorado. Today, I'm here to testify on behalf <br />of the Colorado Farm Bureau. <br /> <br />First off, let me commend all of you for your willingness to serve on this Task Force. You have <br />a very daunting task ahead of you. <br /> <br />For those of you that are not aware of who Colorado Farm Bureau is, let me give a little bit of <br />background information. Colorado Farm Bureau is the largest general farm organization in <br />Colorado. We represent all facets of agriculture. We are a grassroots organization that is run by <br />our members. We participate in discussions based on our policy that is written and approved by <br />our members. <br /> <br />As you know, this area of Colorado is one of the most agriculturally productive areas in the <br />United States, and it is imperative that agriculture remain a viable industry along the South Platte <br />River. Colorado Farm Bureau has long been active in water discussions around the state, and <br />especially the South Platte Basin. Recently, we initiated talks among our county Farm Bureau <br />members about this issue. One of the suggestions that we have heard the most is that more <br />timely decisions must be made regarding the management of the state's water resources. The <br />water court system today is too costly and cumbersome and it is not an effective way of <br />managing our water. Our members have stopped short of supporting the creation of a "water <br />czar" however, we do believe that potential solutions can include granting the State Engineer <br />more flexibility to administer the state's water. <br /> <br />Colorado Farm Bureau was very active in the debate regarding SB 73, and we supported this <br />compromise legislation that was crafted to address well pumping and augmentation plans on the <br />South Platte River. The Colorado Farm Bureau Board of Directors voted unanimously to <br />endorse this plan that protected senior water rights owners along the South Platte River and <br />allowed farms and ranches that depend on groundwater to continue pumping under specific <br />circumstances. We offered our support even though we were attacked by some of our members <br />who felt that this support went against our support for the prior appropriations system. <br /> <br />Let me be clear, Colorado Farm Bureau is a staunch supporter of the prior appropriations system. <br />We believe that the stated objective of water management in Colorado shall be to protect the <br />