IBCC Representative Comments

• Title: IBCC Representative Comments on Visioning
• Date: 3/6/2008
• Interbasin CC - Doc Type: Correspondence/Memos

North Platte Basin
Kent Crowder, Carl Trick
Status Quo
• The state needs to take one of the large projects by the hand and get water to the
Front Range or agriculture will cease to exist on the Front Range.
• The North Platte does not have a compact per se. With the decree still have water
we can use. It is the vision of the North Platte to keep that water availability in tact
for agriculture. Do not see the North Platte changing too much. The North Platte
may have some consumptive use allocated to the North Platte that might be used
to benefit the state.
• Is this an exercise to be protective of each basin, east slope/west slope same thing
as we have in the past.
• The intent of this whole exercise is to bring water to the Front Range. If we are
going back and saying no basin has any water available then what is the vision of
the state?
• Is the vision of the state transferring water out of agriculture?
• Agriculture contribution to the economy of this state from South Platte and
Arkansas is too important to dry it up.
• In the North Platte can see a drop in irrigated acreage because of hydrological
uncertainty. Use of water for recreation and firming purposes and change in
ranching ownership, and nonresident land owners.
Alternative
• Storage needs to be taken seriously. In North Platte need some smaller off channel
storage to augment recreation and tourism uses. Will see this across the western
slope.
• Storage needs to be in the vision for the state in relation to changing forest.
• Maybe it is time to get behind Flaming Gorge or Yampa Pumpback to get water to
the Front Range. Somebody needs to look at these alternatives; otherwise we are
reallocating water.
• North Platte is impacted from agriculture dry up on the Front Range in terms of
getting goods to market. This is why agriculture on the Front Range is so important.
• Storage should be looked at comprehensively on a statewide basis for consumptive
and nonconsumptive uses. Need more public education to show the benefits and
necessities of storage.
17
I:\INTERBASIN COMPACT COMMITTEEWISIONS FOR COLORADO WATER SUPPLY FUTURE\RESPONSES TO VISIONING AND MARCH MEETING\IBCC REPRESENTATIVE COMMENTS.DOC