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Comments to SWSI, November 3. 2003J by John Wiener 5 when I fast inquired, had not decided on charges. USGS data can be used to create some maps, but their coverage of ditches is not known.. Watershed groups may have additional information available, and there are efforts to provide basic GIS information for such groups; the CDM firm may have substantial resources in this areas, and I am noting that because it may be important for the Roundtabre groups to be able to see such maps. The ditches are an important cultural value in themselves. OBJECTiVE 9 Ih Provide for healthy Colorado economy -- Yeah! OBJECTIVE 10 - Provide for operationar flexibUity For the record, why not add a subhead recognizing that water rights are private property for which most (not aU) owners have paid, and that an important part of this objectjve is "Create infrastructure and institutions needed to enable sufficient marketing and transfers to provide equitable outcomes in water transfer markets'~? Or just, .-Enable fair water markets?" COMMENTS ON RELEVANT ISSUES Small acreages as a factor In hay, feed and water demand The popularity of uhorse propertiesU and demand for quality feed for recreatjonal animals is apparently a high-growth opportunity and rapidJy...increasing land use in Colorado, all over. Anecdotal evidence is that there was a substantiaJ boost to focal farming from very high prices paid for hay for pets during the 2002 drought. In the long term, it may be important that a large number of properties have been sold to horse..lovers who cannot feed their animals on the acreage they ownt and are not seeking to engage in serious or commercial agriculture~ These smarl-acreage holders should be considered as a different category from the rather large group that owns small or moderate sized farms and supports them with off..farm emproyment (see annual reports on family farmJ from USDA Economic Research Service~ or numerous discussions availabJe through the USDA ERS website or government documents Iibrarians)4 This farm.. supporter group seems to be maintaining commerciar-like farmsJ as distinct from Ilrecreatronalll or IIhobbyu farms such as the horse...supporters maintain. As the horse group grows in Colorado. the demand for feed may growt perhaps in the way it grew in 2002. (Partial coverage of this is provided in USDA ERS FDS-2003, April 2003, Feed Situation and Outfook Yearbook; it may be covered in various updates as weU; and see arso Henderson and Novack 2003. cited below). The increasing density of wells and septic systems may arso influence the interests of these people in water from other sources. Groundwater availability cannot be presumed on the basis of ownership of a buildable Jot, even if the counties and state wish that were so. This may result in increased competition for wens and the right to pump groundwater, or increased use of other water supplies. Small town supplies are now often important for ex-urban users. Another consideration is that many small properties are subdivisions or parcels from irrigated acreaget and these new pieces may have or may want to have irrigation rights or shares in the irrigat;on company. The interests in amenities and environmental benefits of those ditches appear to increase attractiveness for real estate development probability (work by John Wilkins.. Wells, Colorado State University Sociology Water lab, partly in progress; see <http://waterJab.colostate.edu>).. Proxi,mity to water features; even with increased flood risk, has been shown to increase real estate values (Wiener 1997, and see on-Une bibliography on socioeconomics of flooding, Wiener, available through Natural Hazards Research Applications and Information Center, University of Colorado). This creates the chance for both increased financja~ support for ditches, and the chance for decreased interest in modernizing irrigation,