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<br />1714 <br /> <br />Fortunately for Colorado, we do not <br />have too many areas where this matter will <br />become critical to the point where agriculture <br />will fail, but we do have some of them and <br />those areas should be protected against total <br />exploitation, if I may use that term, of the <br />ground water resources. <br /> <br />In one year they pumped out in the <br />Wiggins area 36,000 acre-feet of water and <br />we know that it is impossible to get anything <br />like that much recharge from natural precipi- <br />tation. In that particular case the Commission <br />studied that area for about a year. We had <br />the reports from the U.S.G.S.; we have reports <br />from the economic division of Colorado State <br />University and those things have been made <br />public. They were available for the people <br />down there to study and yet they refused to <br />accept them and the action of the Commission <br />was immediately vetoed by the local board. <br /> <br />If I remember correctly, the recommenda- <br />, tion of the Governor's water section, Under <br />Harold Chxisty, was that that part of the Act <br />should be changed. There are some weaknesses <br />in the enqineer section of the Act. The State <br />Engineer has no authority to stop a well drill- <br />er who has not taken out a license. He can do <br />so by a rather complicated method of injunction <br />and so foxth, but as far as it's being a mis- <br />demeanor, a man comes in fr~ Nebraska or <br />Kansas acxoss the state line, particularly <br />in the Burlington area, he doesn't take out a <br />license in Colorado, he's recognized as being <br />responsible in Colorado but he puts down a <br />well and in a few days is across the border <br />again. The State Engineer has no authority <br />whatsoevex to do anything about it; only by <br />a complicated method applying to some other <br />section of the law. <br /> <br />I think, if you will study that resolu- <br />tion, what we are asking for lis not a qroup <br />whicn would be under the pay and employ of <br />the Water Board. It would be a group of <br />volunteers again as we have worked on it so <br />far, to put before the Legislature their <br />findings as to the Ground Water Act which <br />they recommend and what it needs to strenghen <br />it. Now I think Mr. Sparks is right. One <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br />