From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
On one hand, most all are pleased with the work so far. At least one other roundtable, the South Platte, acknowledged the thoroughness of the report, called “Projects and Methods to Meet the Needs of the Arkansas Basin.” But some needs are more pressing than others in the minds of roundtable members. Around the table Wednesday, those who attended shared their views on everything from municipal conservation to agricultural leasing programs to tamarisk removal…
More emphasis should be put on developing alteratives for ag water rights owners to realize the value of their water, said Beulah rancher Reeves Brown, who also is a member of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District board. He represents ag interests on the roundtable. “Presently, a willing seller results in moving water permanently out-of-basin, resulting in increasing the gap,” Brown wrote. “Surely with earnest effort, more options can be developed that would both meet the needs of the seller and keep the water in the basin, if not all in ag.”
There is strong environmental opposition to transmountain projects that is not adequately reflected in the report, said SeEtta Moss, of the Arkansas Valley Audubon Society and the sole environmental representative on the roundtable. “We oppose ‘Big Straw’ projects that wreak environmental damage by removing large amounts from Western Slope streams for transmountain diversions to the Front Range,” Moss wrote.
There is still too much influence on water-project identification from municipalities and their legal teams, said Jane Rawlings, assistant publisher of The Pueblo Chieftain, and the industrial representative on the roundtable.
“Granted (municipal and industrial) is important, but recreation, tourism, agriculture, wildlife, environment and rural communities are also vitally important constituencies,” Rawlings wrote. “These values and the people who are affected by them must have a method by which they can be part of the larger process. As we all know, water still flows uphill to money. Continued efforts at meaningful mitigation to these values and uses must be supported and moved forward.”
More IBCC — basin roundtables coverage here.