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• Board Meeting Date: 9/17/2008
• Description: Director's Report - IBCC Director - IBCC Visioning Process
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

5. The right of water rights owners to market their water rights must be protected.
a. Colorado must fully explore flexible, market-based approaches to water supply
management, including interruptible water contracts, water banking, in-state water
leasing and groundwater recharge management.
b. Those seeking to transfer agricultural water to another use should consider leasing or
other temporary arrangements f or transfer of water, rather than relying exclusively on
the purchase of water rights. Leasing or other such temporary arrangements could allow
for reversion of the water to agricultural purposes under certain conditions.
c. In the event that agricultural water is transferred, the transaction must adequately
address the need for maintaining the existing tax base, protecting the remaining water
rights in the area, and maintaining the proper stewardship of the land including
revegetation and weed control.
6. Appropriate recognition should be given to preservation of flows necessary to support
recreational, hydroelectric, and environmental needs concurrent with development of water for
beneficial consumptive uses.
7. Adverse economic, environmental, and social impacts of future water projects and water
transfers should be minimized; unavoidable adverse impacts must be reasonably mitigated; all
communities involved should commit themselves to identifying and implementing reasonable
mitigation measures as an integral part of future water projects or transf ers.
8. Future water supply solutions must benef it both the area of origin and the area of use.
9. Water conservation measures that do not injure other water rights should be aggressively
pursued.
10. There must be an ongoing, concerted effort to educate all Coloradoans on the importance of
water, and the need to conserve, manage, and plan for the needs of this and future generations.
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