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In April 2003, the Colorado Supreme Court clar ified the authority of the State Engineer <br />to review and approve SWSPs in its decision in Simpson v. Bijou Irrigation Co. , 69 P.3d <br />50 (Colo. 2003). In that case, the Court held that the replacement plans contemplated by <br />the proposed rules were the functional equivale nt of augmentation plans, that the State <br />Engineer did not have legal authority to re view and approve such plans except for the <br />authority expressly granted to him by the General Assembly in C.R.S. § 37-92-308, and <br />that the review and approval of augmentation pl ans is within the exclusive jurisdiction of <br />the water court. <br />Following the Simpson decision, then-Attorney General Ken Salazar convened a task <br />force to study the issues re garding the State Engineer’s authority and the continued <br />ability of well users to pump without first going having their water rights adjudicated in <br />water court. The task force presente d the General Assembly with recommended <br />legislation to remedy some of the problems the task force identified. Thereafter, the <br />General Assembly passed Senate Bill 03-73, which substantially modified the State <br />Engineer’s authority regarding approval of substitute water supply plans. <br />During this same time period, in 2002, Co lorado was experiencing one of the worst <br />droughts on record. This drought had dramatic effects on water users in the South Platte <br />River Basin. These effects included increa sed scrutiny of water court cases by other <br />water users, increased water rights administ ration in the non-irrigation season because of <br />reservoir calls, and increased cost and decrea sed availability of augmentation water. <br />These are among the many factors that have made it more difficult for some junior <br />ground water users to be able to pump water. <br />Although these issues have b een studied, discussed, and li tigated numerous times, they <br />should be revisited in order to determine whet her there are any further solutions that the <br />State of Colorado can implement in order to br ing relief to junior water users, without <br />adversely impacting senior water right holders . The mission of the South Platte River <br />Basin Task Force is to bring together a br oad range of stakehol ders to analyze the <br />existing situation, identify the key issu es, and explore potential solutions. <br />2. Mission and Scope <br />The Task Force is charged with clearly arti culating the problems faced by water users in <br />the South Platte River Basin and recommendi ng potential solutions. Specifically, the <br />Task Force is to consider whether there ar e any changes to current water law or policy <br />that will provide relief to junior ground wate r users without injuri ng senior water right <br />holders. <br />To that end, the Task Force shall: <br />A. Conduct two meetings to solicit inform ation from the public regarding the <br />issues facing water users in the Sout h Platte River Basin and to gather <br />suggestions for potential solutions. Th ese meetings shall be held in two <br />different locations within the South Pl atte River Basin in to order bring <br />