BOARD01663

• Board Meeting Date: 8/6/1969
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

I

The statute provides that water refer-
ees will be selected by the water judges
from a list to be submitted to the water
judges by the director of natural resources.
The only purpose of that provision was to
provide some assistance to the water
judges in determining who would be avail-
able and qualified for these positions.
There is perhaps a potential conflict be-
tween the executive department and the
judicial department. The only purpose of
the law is to provide some assistance to
the water judges in the selection of
these people.

As a result of the publicity that
has been given to this matter, we have
had about a half a dozen applications
submitted. However, in reviewing the
applications it seems that many of the
people who submitted their names are not
qualified because of lack of experience
in the field of water adjudications.
Others appear to have adequate qualifi-
cations. This is an important matter and
we have requested the help of both the
Board and the Advisory Committee in get-
ting names that we can submit to the
director of natural resources. It is his
responsibility to submit names to the
water judges.

I

There is some urgency in the matter,
in the Arkansas and South Platte River
basins particularly. These are the areas
where the heavy work loads will occur
initially. We should have a list of names
for all water divisions in the state, be-
cause at any time the water judges may want
to appoint a water referee for a particular
case. I am sure that in each water divi-
sion in the state at some time in the
future water referees will be appointed.

The salary schedule has not yet been