From The Greeley Tribune (Eric Brown):
After discussing various issues Monday afternoon and into Tuesday morning, representatives of the organization’s wildlife and environment, water, specialty agriculture, crops and animal agriculture committees each outlined the county, state and federal policies that sit atop their watch lists.
Giving the water committee’s final report, John Stroh of Walsenburg in Huerfano County – the committee’s chairperson – said he wanted legislators to address special water districts, fight against the United Nations’ Agenda 21 Wildlands Project plans that could prevent diverting snowmelt in certain areas of Colorado’s mountains for usable water, and look into giving the Colorado Division of Water Resources more flexibility.
Stroh further explained that the privately owned special water districts “seem unregulated” and don’t give users a voice in what happens with the water.
“There just apparently isn’t much oversight. It seems like a good business plan,” Stroh said with sarcastic laugh. “Maybe I’ll do the same thing.”
Stroh said the United Nations’ Agenda 21 Wildlands Project would turn portions of Colorado’s mountain areas into an “uninhabited wilderness area.”
“If that were to happen, which means we would lose access to that water, that could really affect our ability to farm,” he said. “We’re really quite concerned about it.”
Regarding the Colorado Department of Water Resources, Stroh said the office’s lack of flexibility is the reason Colorado is sending its water surplus to neighboring states that are getting more than their allotted amount.
“You have the South Platte River, where we now have over-watered aquifers full and flooding basements, and yet there are still wells shut off and can’t be pumped,” Stroh said. “It’s the prime example of where more flexibility for our state’s engineer could do us a lot of good.”
More Colorado water coverage here.