From The Pueblo Chieftain (Peter Roper):
Both men [Michael Bennet and Ken Buck] said they wanted to protect rural water supplies but Bennet made a point of having supported the $5 million budget appropriation to begin work on the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a planned water pipeline from Lake Pueblo to 40 communities down the valley. Congress authorized the project in 1962 but had never appropriated money until this year.
Buck dismissed that to the crowd. “(Bennet) stood up and took credit for a conduit that others had worked on for 10 years,” he said.
More coverage from The Denver Post (Michael Booth):
After Bennet said he was proud to help the Congressional delegation and local leaders secure clean water and protect Arkansas River rights, Buck tried to force Bennet’s opinion on a controversial Northern Colorado reservoir project. Buck supports the plan, Bennet has not taken a position. “He took credit where he wanted to,” Buck said, “But then when he wants to duck an issue like (northern Colorado), he says the federal government doesn’t have any role.”
More coverage from the Associated Press (Kristen Wyatt):
For the first time, the Senate hopefuls also sparred over Colorado water. Buck backed the Northern Integrated Supply Project, a divisive proposal to capture water from the Cache la Poudre and South Platte rivers for a new reservoir north of Fort Collins. Bennet hasn’t taken a position on the project. The two disagreed over the role of the federal government in Colorado water disputes. Bennet said the federal government should stay out of intrastate water disputes, while Buck said, “It’s one of the places the federal government should have a role.”
More coverage from The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Gary Harmon):
[Ken] Buck, listed as a supporter of Referendum A, the water-storage measure that sunk a class of Colorado Republicans after it was defeated in 2003, said he remains a supporter of water-storage projects. “We keep sending water out of the state,” he said. “We shouldn’t do that.” The federal government shouldn’t be the only player in water storage, Buck said. Business interests also can play a role, he said.
More 2010 Colorado elections coverage here.