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<br />;I~nculturt' to gc' and find It
<br />Weld C,'umy and the South Plath:
<br />RIwr Basin Jre the statcs most produc-
<br />tive J~ncultur3] art>a~ In 13(\, \\dd IS the
<br />sth mo~t prodUl:UW agncuhural count\'
<br />. .
<br />m the n:ltll'n :\ot surpmmgly. \\"cld
<br />C,'unty farmi'Ts ,md hw~t()f,:k pwducas
<br />find themse]ws at thc forc/rom of mcrt'~.
<br />mgly hl'att"d compclltlOn for the SIJtes
<br />lImlled watn resources TheIr ston,'s
<br />pro\'ld,' a rcal-hfc bJckdrop to our state's
<br />ch.mpng US6 of water In agm'ulturc ;lnd
<br />f(lTcshadll\\' future tfl:~nd~
<br />
<br />Henry .-\dolf WanekJ. homt'ste,ltkd
<br />ne.1r tht' small cl.l.\l-mmmg w\\ n t,f
<br />Llf.lyl'ttc ~_lmf;' 124 years .1gl~. nl'ar the
<br />border 01 pres.:nt-d,lY We]d and Boulder
<br />countlCS To Imph,' hIs (TOpS, he pur-
<br />chJ'>t'd shaH~s In the Go,)Jnul' Dttch and
<br />Rcs.:rv,llr Comf1Jny decrn'd In lH79, onc
<br />of ;.c\Tral su(n dnch (()mpJnles dl\'CTllng
<br />water (lut 01 'Xluth &luldcr Crn'k
<br />Amund Iht' turn of tht' (l"ntury.
<br />\\';mek\'s \\,llt'r right pfll\1dcu sufhclen!
<br />\\att'r III IrngJtl' corn. alfalfa .md hay
<br />-\lCllrding tll hls great-grandson ChlKk
<br />\\',\flek.1 m thns..' J.IYS the otht'r dlldlCS
<br />along St'ulh B(lulda Creek had nl'l \"1.'1
<br />hgmwn mw theIr nghts. and therc \\'.IS
<br />ml'ft' water rcturnl"d t,~ the stream Rut
<br />\1I"t'r the years, nC;lTby nUes Jnd llthcr
<br />l.lrms began 1,1 (laun all the water In thc
<br />creek. ,md scm,)f (;Ills slatted comtn~
<br />carlu:r t'3ch war B\ tht' tlme Chu~'k l<.ll,k
<br />owr the f:tm1 In 1<ol3b. his br,mdfatha~
<br />].~79 watn nght only supphed 1l0Wln.~
<br />water 1I11 the be.glnntn,g ~11 July ~ not
<br />elll'ugh \(l gr(l\\' many {TllpS
<br />Lo"klng fM ~upplemcmal water
<br />\\'aflt:b purlhascd a ne;lfby tann b,~rder-
<br />Ini-: th,' LaI.1YCIll' cay Jlnllts, pamcularly
<br />,ltlradl\'e ht'lausc 11 (ame wnh a pwduc-
<br />Ing groundWJll'r well HlStllrKally the
<br />wcll was used to dew:Ha the SlmpS('n
<br />Coal \Ime wllh the ,~\\'nl'r tll the sur.
<br />wundIn~ pwp.:tty ha\1n,~ n~hl~ to alllh,'
<br />\ldter pumped \\'hcn th,' mine do'>ecl In
<br />1924 tht' mlnt'shallS hlh:d \\'lIh WJto:r
<br />pnxlunng .1 ~teady ,lfll"~lan supph- t~t
<br />~T(1undwater th.u \\-,lUCka llsed to Irngatc
<br />some 2()o J(re~ ,~i hI." farm
<br />But pumpmg ,~I tnbuury ~r,lund-
<br />water c,m Intercept \\Jter C(1Unected to
<br />the stream ,md nccdt'd tt' fulfill >t"ntl1r
<br />..uriace WJil'T nghts ReqUIred hy l:m w
<br />relurn s<~mt' l'! hIS ~t(lundw;l\er I\l thc
<br />nwr, In tht' I <ol;Q.. \\-'mekJ ]l'lm'd the
<br />Gttlundwaur ,--\rpropn~ltMs of the S~luth
<br />Plaltt'li.;A:,r ,I (l)l1pcrall\'C JS:'<XI,llwn ,,!
<br />
<br />f:trmers who paid dues annually to [0].
<br />le[(lw]y lea~ or purchase water nghts (0
<br />rep!.ace their groundwater depletions F(lr
<br />t'\H 30 years. mote than 1,000 wells In
<br />the upper and lown South Platte Ba5m
<br />t1pcrated under subsllIute supply plans
<br />coordinated by GASP Jnd appro\"t'd
<br />Jnnually hy the Statl" Enj::lflcer
<br />Today the 100 n:matfllng aaes of the
<br />Waneka farm Sit In a much dlllcrent land-
<br />S\.apc than 101.' years ago to the C.1St. a
<br />cardully-nlJflIcured pm'ale ~lllf Cl~ur~
<br />Irng;llcs lts blnt'ays wuh wastcwah:r
<br />treatment plaut diluent Dlrenly W the
<br />west. the Clly of Lafayette IS drafung plans
<br />{(l :one hl~ farm br -open spa(t~
<br />\\ 'hat r<,",tlly (h.lU~ed \\"ant'ka;, water
<br />uo;,,:: howe\'er. was a It'ller from GASP lhat
<br />,Im\"l'd dunn~ thl' hot doudless summer
<br />t,f 2(102 It SJ.ld errecllwly lhat replJ':t'mem
<br />W,ller G.--\~P pre\",usly leased ff{)m cl!Ie~
<br />would no l(ln~er lx, .1vai]ahk ~mu' they
<br />\lould bt: unahk !l1 CO\"l'r \\'aneka's well
<br />deplt,tlOns, he \t,'uld ltkely be reqUired t,l
<br />SlOP pumpm~ hiS well complelely
<br />In ~ooJ years. ('l1h'::" em rent waler
<br />\(1 orgam.:allllflS hke G:\SP 1M auguwn.
<br />t;lth1fl But In dry years like the 2002
<br />drnuj::ht thiS watt"r \\'a-s un,l\'allabk
<br />T(l funhl'r ':t1mplKalc matters, scnlllr
<br />sur/ac-e water TIght holders along the
<br />S,'ulh Platte Rl\"Cr wen' allegmg that
<br />wells ~uch a;. \\"anebs were unfaIrly
<br />lnter.:eplln,g w;l\cr needed III the over
<br />The result was ~1 ~upreme (,mn dcuswn
<br />'lrdenng th,' "t.ltl.' Engmeer w shut d"\"'l
<br />all groundwatcr wells without sufftnent
<br />JllgmemallO!l plans
<br />OWr the lasl two ye,lTs, \\':lUl'ka and
<br />""my others In thc South Plant' Ba.sln
<br />haw bet'n hustlmg to hgure Olll h,1\\
<br />t,l keep thelt wells pumpmg Englllcer;.
<br />,IUd lawyers ha\"e been t:alled m. as well
<br />as oth('r l<lnsultant.s and local wata
<br />C(1flscrv~mcy dlstncts 01 Ihe more th,IU
<br />'.(XIt.' wells that fl'11 under G.bPs net-
<br />Wtlrk. ,(lme ;-61.1 ar,:' still 'on Ihclr own-
<br />I,'r hndmg Jugment,l[wn W,lIct. SJ.y~ Jack
<br />Od\1T, m.1na!':er 01 c;.-\~r In Ihe end SOffit'
<br />pt't1ple 'o\ill fmd a '.tay 1<' lepll\" kccp
<br />pumplO!", other~ won't
<br />An:ordmg \(1 \\"ancb, he's pr,'hably
<br />tlut b,'ed wnh ptltl"n1l311y substantl;ll
<br />enpneenn~ Jnd ko.:,11 fees, .15 well as CO"IS
<br />fc'r aJdlUonal \\'.1Icr In Iht' tens t,f th,lU'
<br />s.mds 1.'1 d,ll\ars, \\'anek,1 ltlt,k; ,1mllnd.\I
<br />the urban di'wl,lpmt'n! en..:wa(hmg t'n
<br />all SIdes JOd (:(In..:edo At ,'13 I'm l()()k-
<br />mg tl~ sll)\\' down \\,:' thought we were
<br />(:,1w'ted h\ G,-\~p' but they g,lt plUchcd
<br />
<br />HE:ADWATERS - SPRING 20Q..l
<br />
<br />
<br />'These OOrtlS surf' could use anot/1ercoat o(
<br />pamt' v'lane~o ....ornes as he 100>.5 at !he bUlld.
<br />'''g~ on /1. ]4 yeor-ok! :cW'n 'Sut ...lV' These
<br />Pw1dm;?S and corrals..., '11.'1'er be used (or agn.
<br />cU1lu,eugo,n'
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