BOARD01943

• Board Meeting Date: 12/19/1951
• Description: Minutes and Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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The Di~ecto~ explained that legislation on this subject had been
approved and recommended by a Subcommittee of the State Agricultural
Plannin~ Comc,uttee. ~e reviewed steps that had been taken by Senator
E. P. Hazard and others to have this proposed legislation included for
consideration at the next session of the legislature. He called par-
ticular attention to the fact that the proposed legislation imposed
regulatory functions on the Colorado Water Conservation Board with re-
spect to the manner of drilline and controlling artesian wells. Jean
S. Breitenstein discussed the bill, its purposes and the question of
the state agency which Sh0111d be charged ,vith the administering of the
provisions of the proposed bill. tT. A. E. Headlee reviewed the situ-
ation which pxisted in the San Luis Valley in ~egard to drillin[ activi-
ties for tapping artesian water. He expressed the view that the situa-
tion was very serious and that there was strong sentiment in the San
Luis Valley for some legislation ,~ich would cure the improper drilling
for and control of artesian vrater. Considerable discussion ensued on
the proposed bill including the need, in the viffi~ of the Board, for the
adoption of an underground water code by the legislature and for continu-
ing the underground water investigations heretofore initiated and n~N
being carried on under a cooperative contract between the Board and th3
United States Geological Survey.

Dan Hunter offered and moved the adoption of the followinb resolution:

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. VIHEREAS, t~ere has heen called to the attention of the
Colorado ~ater Conservation 30ard a proposed bill for con-
sideration during the 1952 Ses~ion of the General Assembly of
Colorado, sponsored by the Subcommittee of the Colorado Agricultural
Planning Committee, for the purpose of regulating the !'lanner of drilling,
constructing and contrOlling artesian irrigation wells; and

:JHEREAS, such proposed legislation provides for the ad-
ministration of the regulation of the manner of the construction
of such artesian wells shall be placed in the hands of the Colo-
rado Water Conservation Board, and

YIHEREAS, the Colorado ~ater Conservation 30ard exercises no
administrative and regulatory functions under the Act creating it;
and the State Engineer is the official of the State of Colorado desig-
nated by statute to administer distribution of water and water rights
in the State; and

i"lIlERF.AS, The Colorado Water Conservation Board heretofore
has taken the position that the underground water resources of
the State are, and in recent years in an increasing degree are
becoming of great importance to the State and its future welfare,
and in the interest of the appropriate re~lation of its use and
control in accordance with the provisions of an acceptable under-
ground water code, and in furtherance thereof, the Board initiated
several years ago a cooperative program with the U. S. Geological
Survey for an investi~ation and study of the occurrences of under-
ground water throughout the State of Colorado; and

"~ERF.AS, it appears that the formulation of ari underground
water code, acceptable to the water ~sers of the State for various

purposes, has not been accomplished and requires further study and
c onsi derati on.