DWR_3348282

• Board or Commission: Colorado Ground Water Commission
• Document Type - Board and Commission Meetings: Meeting Document
• Document Date: 8/16/2002
• Subject: MEETING MATERIALS

Colorado Ground Water Commission
1313 Sherman Street, Room 818
Denver CO 80203

PLEASE RETURN BY JUNE 30, 2002

GWMD Survey on Administration of Rotational Acres

The ______________________________ GWMD recommends to the Ground Water Commission that the following administration be applied to future changes of water rights for rotational acres:
(Check one please)

□ Require meter administration through a third party as required for an Increase of Irrigated Acres (Rule 7.5.4);
□ Limit wells to historical use (and require third party administration) as required for an Increase of Irrigated Acres (Rule 7.5); or
□ No additional administration.

Comments ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signed,

____________________________________ _____ _______________________
Name (please print or type) Signature

_________ ___ _
Title Date

ERNEST L. MIKITA, CHAIRMAN, Calhan; ANNE J. CASTLE, VICE-CHAIRMAN, Denver; JON B. BROWNELL, Hooper; EUGENE A. BAUERLE, Julesburg; DENNIS W. CORYELL, Burlington;
ROBERT R. LOOSE, Wiggins; LARRY CLEAVER, Grand Junction; RICHARD F. HUWA, Keenesburg; CHARLES “MAX” SMITH, Walsh

StaffReportAug02.doc STATE OF COLORADO
GROUND WATER COMMISSION
Division of Water Resources
Department of Natural Resources

1313 Sherman Street, Room 818
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone [phone]
FAX [phone]
Bill Owens
Governor

Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director, DNR

Hal D. Simpson, P.E.
Executive Director
November 6, 2002

MEMORANDUM

TO: Hal D. Simpson, Executive Director - Ground Water Commission

FROM: Suzanne M. Sellers, Designated Basins Team

SUBJECT: Staff Activity Report for May 1, 2002 through July 31, 2002
AGENDA ITEM # 10

Various activities performed during the last quarter are briefly described below.

New and Replacement Applications

Table 1 provides a breakdown, by basin, of permitting activity for the last quarter. The following permit activities were performed:

Small capacity:

300 small-capacity well applications were received
266 small-capacity well permits were issued

Large Capacity:

129 large-capacity well or Determination of Water Right applications were received
48 large-capacity well permits or Determination of Water Rights were issued

Table 2 shows the current status of new and replacement permit applications for the large-capacity wells.

Change Applications

Table 3 provides the current status of the change applications. During the last quarter the following
change application activities occurred:

10 new applications were received;
18 change applications were approved; and
71 applications are currently in different stages of processing, including 14 in initial processing, 10 in publication, and 47 in hearing (including for 39 for Eagle Peak Farms) as shown
in Table 3.

Final Permit Activities

For this last quarter, there was final permit activity within the Northern High Plains, Upper Crow Creek and Southern High Plains.

Work continues in the Northern High Plains with those remaining conditional permits, which were previously set aside due to their complexity or lack of cooperation from well owners.
Though activity has slowed due to an increase of work in the Southern High Plains, 104 final permits were signed, with 57 of those in Yuma County and the other 47 permits located in
Kit Carson County. Currently, there are approximately 60 permits in Yuma County, which need to be finalized and 240 permits in Kit Carson County. With the resolution of case no. 01-GW-15,
where the Hearing Officer decided in favor of the Commission, there are no pending hearings or objections regarding final permits.

Work also continues on Upper Crow Creek. Final requests for information have been made by certified mail to encourage well owners to submit the requested necessary information to clarify
the permits. The majority of the 105 permits in the basin have been clarified and are be prepared for publication.

And finally, as we indicated at the last Commission meeting, we have started requesting statements of use in the Southern High Plains. The owners of 105 permits were contacted by telephone
to confirm ownership and address. A letter requesting the statement of use was then sent to each well owner. The letters provided all information that is on file for the use of the
wells to aid the well owners in completing the statements of use. To-date, we have received a response from 19 permit owners or 18% of those contacted.

As indicated in previous reports, there is the continuing problem of lack of current ownership information within many of the permit files, which delays the clarifying process. In order
to facilitate correspondence with well owners, the staff asks District Managers to encourage land owners to complete and submit change of ownership/address forms to the Commission Staff,
if they have acquired wells or moved in the last 10 years.

Objections/Hearings

Pending hearing cases are listed in the Hearing Officer's report. The Staff took part in pre-hearing conferences or otherwise spent time trying to resolve or otherwise work on the
hearing cases related to following applicants. The Eagle Peak Farm application is currently in Adams County District Court and the Bradbury application is currently being appealed to
the Colorado Supreme Court.