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<br />Comments to SWSI, November 3t 2003, by John Wiener
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<br />6
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<br />where small acreages are not being operated for profit or at scales sufficient to support
<br />investment in higher technologYt as well as the chance for increased risks from and to ditches1
<br />especially where thoughtless zoning and development put investments in dangerous Jocations~
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<br />In a perfect world, ditches heading in this direction should be offered various easements,
<br />incentives and opportunities to provide pUblic benefits from such water management and habitat
<br />support, designed to provide those benefits with appropriate access to the public as well as the
<br />new neighbors.. (And, urban developers and officiars would reap the benefits of ditches instead of
<br />encroaching on them; injuring rights 01 way, creating hazardst and generarry turning an asset into
<br />a liabUity while injuring the providers.H)
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<br />Urban amenity values and the agricultural legacy
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<br />In almost aU of Colorado.s urban areas, important quality of life benefits derive from the beneficial
<br />externality provided by conveyance losses from ditches and canals, and in many urban and
<br />suburban areas, there are also important benefits from uses of the rights of way for trails and
<br />other access. Denver.s Highline Canal is a premier amenity, as shown on the city.s website, and
<br />the State has published a series of maps of trails as welL The ditch companies are, for most of
<br />the popuration of the West on a daily basis. Uthe people who brought you trees and birds.u
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<br />There are two ways to consider the value of the am~nities provided by the ditches and their
<br />support of vegetation and wildlife. First, real estate valuation retracts the added charms of being
<br />near these amenities: economists have studied the differences between similar properties, using
<br />large samples, to sort out dffferent sources of value, and amenities are not trivial. The National
<br />Association of Home Builderst for example, sponsored a study on the value of trails (reported by
<br />the Rails to Trails ConserVancy; the NAHB publication is costly, but a distillation can be seen at
<br />http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentJD=540). A local check could be performed by
<br />simply asking reaJtors for their experience and advice, or perhaps interview some residents about
<br />what they like and don't like.
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<br />The second approach to valuation might be consjdering the cost of purchasing the same services
<br />and qualities~ How much would it cost to provide treated water and a distribution system for the
<br />support of the vegetation along ditches if the ditch itself were IIturned offi? Would the neighbors
<br />be willing to provide that wateringl and are there neighbors along the ditch? If the trees and
<br />shrubs were lost, what would it cost to replace them, or to establish similarly supportive bird and
<br />wildlife habitat? (Raccoon-haters may think this would be a foolish question, but bird-lovers may
<br />not.) And, what would be the cost (let alone probability) of acquiring a corridor like that provided
<br />by the ditch, as a new right of way?
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<br />The Uterature supports claims about the importance of amenities and the sense of place (e.g~
<br />Daniels, T.L~t J~W. KaUer, and M.S. Lapping, 1995. The Small Town Plannina Handbook, 2d Ed.,
<br />Chicago: American Planning Association, Chaps~ 10, 12 and 21; and see Chaps. 3, 4 and16 in
<br />Arendtt R~ at at; Rural bv Desio": Maintainina Small Town Character, 1994t Chicago: American
<br />Planning Association; for metropolitan areas, see Hoch, C.J., L.C. Dalton and F.S. SOt 2000, The
<br />Practice of Local Government Plannina, 3rd Ed.. Washingtont D.C.: International City/County
<br />Management Association, Chaps. 5 and 8.; and see references in comment above).
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<br />Agricultural efficiency and environmental values
<br />Agricultural Efficiency and unintended uses of water: this is refevant to ## 1 J2,5,6,7t8, and 9'
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<br />Outside of urban areas, conveyance losses, seepage and irrigation inefficiencies create
<br />significant added wildlife and vegetation benefits in rurar landscapes enlivened by the water
<br />distribution system. The Front Range as a whole, including the PJains (and much of the West
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