The state engineer has approved proposed changes to the management rules for the San Luis Valley’s groundwater sub-district #1. Here’s a report from Matt Hildner writing for the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The revisions, posted (pdf) on the conservation district’s Web site Tuesday, include a revised plan of water management and appendices for an annual replacement plan, surface water credit calculation, an index of the subdistrict’s wells, budget plan and operational timelines. The replacement plan also includes provisions for the subdistrict to deliver water downstream when senior surface water users are curtailed under the Rio Grande Compact at a rate equal to or greater than the injurious depletions caused by pumping.
During a Tuesday hearing on the course of management for the September trial, Kuenhold ordered additional information be included on how the subdistrict plans to use the Rio Grande Decision Support System, a computer modeling program, to calculate depletions. He also agreed with the plan’s supporters to limit the issues that any new interveners in the case might raise, avoiding the risk of re-trying matters the court previously covered.