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1. New water storage is a necessary and essential component of resolving the water <br />crisis on the South Platte River. Therefore, the South Platte Task Force recommends the <br />support of the expansion and dredging of existing reservoirs and the construction of new <br />reservoirs including underground storage. <br />Passed 20/1 (for /against) (Stulp and Harvey absent) <br />2. The Task Force recommends that continued funding be provided to ensure <br />completion of the South Platte Decision Support System as soon as possible. <br />Passed 23/0 <br />3. The Task Force recommends that the South Platte Decision Support System team <br />continue its comprehensive study to evaluate the limits of current science and technology <br />to accurately quantify the amount and timing of well pumping depletions to the river, <br />with appropriate peer review, so as to ensure that policy and law is created on the basis of <br />the best modeling possible. <br />Passed 16/7 <br />4. The Task Force recommends that the Legislature enact legislation that would <br />provide more flexibility for the use of excess augmentation credits, only for replacement <br />of current year depletions caused by past well pumping, with the notice and comment <br />process and expedited review set forth in C.R.S. § 37 -83 -105. This includes but is not <br />limited to looking at the water loan statute (C.R.S. § 37 -83 -105) as an appropriate statute <br />within which provide this flexibility. <br />Passed 17/6 <br />5. The Task Force recognizes that there is increasing pressure being applied to the <br />Water Courts in the State, due to competition for water, recent case law and evolving <br />technology. The Task Force has also received testimony from a number of individuals <br />that the. Water. Court process is cumbersome, time - consuming and can be extremely <br />expensive. <br />The study could include consideration of: <br />appointment of senior judges as alternate water judges <br />permitting the appointment of special masters in water court proceedings <br />with the possibility that the water court referees could themselves serve in that <br />role <br />a requirement that water court referees be professional engineers <br />imposition ofprocedural time requirements in proceedings before the referee, <br />such as application of Rules 16 and 26 <br />mandatory annual training for water judges and referees both in water law and <br />in the engineering, technological and scientific issues and advancements, in <br />3 <br />