BOARD00191

• Board Meeting Date: 3/21/2002
• Description: WSP Section - Agricultural Water Policy Discussion
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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DRAFT

is all based on water. I told Hal, there is so little water where I am we've gone to pivot
irrigation and plastic pipes to save a little bit of water. Then we see Frank Yaeger in
Parker talking about how they will have water for their endangered species obligations,
they've gone and bought irrigated acreage to supply that water, We sit around a table and
it doesn't take long to see what the expected price of the 3-state agreement will be and
who's going to pay for it. Bottom line, I hope this Board comes up with a policy
direction and that society steps forward and contribute, in order for us to sustain the
quality of life we want to live in.

Rod Kuharich - thanks to David Carlson, Steve Miller and everyone for all the
information they've gathered for us to consider today,

Don Ament - we need to do more of this, it's important to this Govemorand
Administration, we need to be partnering up and information sharing is quite helpful.
The job ahead of us is a tough one and its tough because this growing population doesn't
have grandmas and grandpas out on the farms that know how water has been put to
beneficial use, We ought to continue this sharing of knowledge using new computer
programs and other information sharing techniques. It troubles me that we aren't doing a
lot more.

Greg Walcher - In the conversion of agricultural lands to non-Ag uses, people are
surprised when they see how much is converted to open space and parks. We need to use
this to preserve the lands but keep them in a working ranch or farm at the end ofthe day,

Harold Miskel - Ray Christensen is next - Fred Anderson will be added after Ray.

Ray Christensen - Thank you. Amen to both Don and Greg for their comments on
where we are in agriculture right now. Its troubling to a lot of us, we keep working to try
and figure it out. I would like to commend Agriculture and CWCB in pulling this
together. It's easy to get into a turf battle, so I like to see agencies working closely
together like this. What's good for agriculture is good for the state. I'm going to talk
about where we are and the data, I'd like to bring in the whole Farm Bureau Water Study
and go into the history. This information will jive with what is in your notebook. Our
original study was released in 1996, and then we went into phase 2, which took us more
into implementation. (Discusses the handout and legislative history). The study was
updated in 1999, We asked for a drought and flood study rather than asking for dams to
be built.

Threats to Agriculture water have not gone away. There's still the Clean Water Act and
Endangered Species Act setting standards, MonumentlNational Park initiatives, and
Recreational Instream Flows. Growth has contributed to the loss of farms and
agricultural water. The more land and water that transfers, the less the aggregate business
on main street. The latest farm bill is the latest attempt to dewater the west and have
federal control over water. The Reid Water Amendment doesn't belong in the Farm Bill,
and the Bill won't pass with it. The Farm Bill is very important to agriculture, and we
want to see it. We support the Farm Bill, but not ifit has the Reid Water Amendment in

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