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Comments to SWSI, November 3,2003, by John Wiener 34 But the trouble is when that farmer's gone and his water is gone, then the bank will be gone, too, and the whole ag economy." Rather than amplifying on water leasing programs, Scanga said the state needs to build more water storage vessels and adopt strong mitigation laws "so that when some city wants to buy water they have to show they're making full reuse of the water they have and they have made . maximum effort to buy water within their own basin first." "We have to work on the supply end as well as the demand end - but to make it easier for a large municipality to buy water from outside its basin is not the way to go," he said. @1996-2002 The pueblo Chieftain Online Appendix 2: Another story which mentions the fears of the new leasing: Denver Post "Eco-groups: Conservation, not dams, can supply water," By Theo Stein, Denver Post Environment Writer Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - The Front Range can weather future droughts without big new dams by leasing water from farmers, dredging and enlarging existing reservoirs, and reducing demand, according to a new report from two environmental groups. Hydrologist Dan Luecke, one of the report's primary authors, suggested that cities should enter into long-term agreements with farmers to Jet fields lie fallow during dry spells, which would save more water for cities. "The cost of buying insurance this way is a lot cheaper and quicker than buying concrete for new dams," said Luecke, the former regional director of Environmental Defense. In fact, many Front Range communities, faced with potential shortages, are scrambling to do just that. Aurora, Broomfield and Thornton are already working on deals with farmers that could dry up as much as 10,000 acres this year to keep city taps flowing. Farmers and rural legislators worry that temporary leases of agricultural water will become permanent, drying up the farm economy. The report, commissioned by Trout Unlimited and the Colorado Environmental Coalition, suggests that market-driven leases of agricultural water, in conjunction with other measures, can address drought-driven shortfalls. It also recommends drawing water from the deep aquifers under the Denver basin in dry times and recharging them during wet years, and using the existing network of pipelines and channels to shift water around the region more efficiently. "Big new storage as drought insurance is not the answer," said Trout Unlimited water attorney Melinda Kassen. "We believe the principles outlined in this report are a faster, better, cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to ensure sustainable water supplies in the future." Kassen said the report was designed to help inform debate at the statehouse, where bills calling for new reservoirs and expensive pump-back projects have garnered all the headlines. But Aurora water manager Peter Binney, who is counting on leased agricultural water to help get his city through the year, says the report's proposals will fall short.