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<br />RECOMMENDA nONS OF THE COMMITTEE <br /> <br />Each of the three subcommittees provided proposed recommendations to the full committee <br />for consideration at its August 7, 1995, meeting. The ARCC discussed these subcommittee <br />proposals and evcntually adopted the following recommendations by either unanimous vote <br />or a significant majority, approaching full consensus: <br /> <br />e State officials should look to existing augmentation groups, and any new entities <br />created by valley water users, to meet future well augmentation requirements that <br />address the problems of depletions to usable stateline flows and prevent injury to <br />senior Colorado surface rights. <br /> <br />e The ability to pay will be determined by the well augmentation groups and their <br />members and any further recommendation in this area is unnecessary. <br /> <br />e With respect to the purchase and change of use of existing irrigation water rights for <br />use in augmentation: <br /> <br />I. Do not purchase entire basin augmentation needs from a single geographic <br />region to minimize impacts on: a) revegetation of the area, b) county tax <br />base, and c) agriculturally dependent communities. <br />2. Whenever possible, attempt to buy an entire water right in order to avoid <br />minority shareholder problems. <br />3. Attempt to purchase those systems or portions of systems that operate least <br />efficiently in terms of volume of water used and agricultural productivity_ <br /> <br />e In the event Colorado must repay Kansas for obligations incurred prior to the <br />decision of the Supreme Court of the United States rendered May 15, 1995, and <br />repayment is required in water, the State of Colorado should purchase rights to a <br />permanent, renewable supply of water. After the debt is repaid, such water should <br />be available for lease or purchase in the following order of preference: l) by well <br />owners within the Arkansas River basin for augmentation purposes, and 2) for other <br />beneficial purposes. In order to manage any such rights in accordance with the <br />aforestated principles and to manage any such other water supplies and related <br />facilities that it may acquire for the benefit of the citizens of the Arkansas River <br />basin, the General Assembly should consider action to create a regional entity <br />consisting of members representing both surface and groundwater interests in <br />proportion to their use of water within the Arkansas River basin of Colorado to act <br />in trust on behalf of the people of Colorado. Fwthermore, the state should not lease <br />water which may become available on the spot market for the purpose of the <br />repayment of prior obligations which would place it in competition with efforts of <br />well owners to replace their subsequent depletions. <br /> <br />7 <br />