BOARD02247

• Board Meeting Date: 9/25/2000
• Description: State Affairs Issues - Need and Role of Permanent House and Senate Water Committee, Future Legislation Regarding Water Transfers and Board Composition
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
13 13 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

Q

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director

TO:
FROM:
DATE:
RE:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

Dan McAuliffe

~

Dan McAuliffe
Acting Director

September 18,2000

Agenda Item 15 --State Affairs Issues (Need and role of permanent House &
Senate Water Committee; future legislation regarding water transfers and
Board composition)

During the last legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly was presented with
several bills late in the session. As a result, the CWCB had no opportunity to discuss this
legislation or the issues surrounding their introduction.

I have been attending Colorado Water Congress State Affairs Committee meetings on
your behalf. Each of the issues discussed by the legislature are currently being discussed by the
committee in an effort to be prepared to respond should the bills be reintroduced.

To more effectively represent you at these meetings, I want to consult with you at our
meeting about the following issues:

1. Need and role of permanent House & Senate Water Committee

Rep. Hoppe is expected to introduce a bill, or make a recommendation to the Special
Water Committee at its meeting on Sept. 20, that a permanent special water committee
be created. The Colorado Water Congress supports this effort, but has several suggestions
regarding the committee's composition (to address west slope v. east slope/urban v. rural
prejudices) and jurisdiction (what issues should the committee be charged with
addressing). A copy of the bill that was introduced last year is attached.

2. Future legislation regarding water transfers

Legislation is expected to be introduced again this year by Senators Andrews and Evans
regarding transbasin water and water project construction. I have attached the bill, the
draft fiscal note we provided and the final fiscal note regarding the bill that was
introduced last year. The bill was referred to the State Affairs Committee, rather than the
Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.