Arkansas - UNC - Inquiries into Buy and Dry_May2008

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Describe how the water activity meets Threshold Criteria. This was written in response to the statute, in advance of the committee guidelines and criteria. It is thought that former is less likely to change than the latter. Presumably, criteria will reflect the following language from SB07-122, Section 18: "South Platte river and Arkansas river basins alternative agriculture water transfer sustainability grant program -appropriation. (1) In addition to any other appropriation, there is hereby appropriated, out of any moneys in the Colorado water conservation board construction fund not otherwise appropriated, to the department of natural resources, for allocation to the Colorado water conservation board, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000), or so much thereof as may be necessary, for the board to develop and implement a competitive grant program to advance various agricultural transfer methods as alternatives to permanent agricultural dry-up in the South Platte and Arkansas river basins, including but not limited to, interruptible water supply agreements, long-term agricultural land fallowing, water banks, reduced consumptive use through efficiency or cropping while maintaining historic return flows, and purchase by end users with leaseback under defined conditions. The board, in consultation with the basin water users, shall develop the detailed grant program design." The critical term expressing intent here is "to advance... alternatives... ". Advance is not defined, but can be distinguished from "implement" or "describe" as narrower ranges or scope of activities, or many other smaller sets of choices. Advancing the alternatives should include any appropriate steps to help describe or define, and study and refine information about the alternatives, as well as to assist in implementation, operation, or realization of the alternatives. And, within this there should also be room for work that combines the outreach function as part of the effort to assure that all affected interests are heard. Potential guidelines or criteria will presumably include some or all of the following: A. The proposed activity will be consistent with Colorado Revised Statutes, or will provide support for consideration of statutory change or legislative options. The inquiries concern improvements in the use of market mechanisms to allow fuller representation of all interests, and thus reduction of unwanted impacts and effects of water transfers, and development of accessible information in support of improved functioning of water markets. Better information about interests in water and about potential marketing, supports private property rights and realization of value of property rights. Two of the three transfer mechanisms recommended by the author of this proposal are legally available at this time, but one is not. Further information on how the three mechanisms or forms of transfers may most usefully be applied in combination appears to be especially appropriate at this time. The three forms recommended are described in Appendix material, and are likely to also appear in the Technical Roundtable Report from the Agricultural Alternatives Roundtable of Phase II of SWSI, although in a somewhat different form; at the time of this writing, that report has not been issued.