From email from the Ditch and Reservoir Company Association (John McKenzie):
DARCA will be holding two Alternative Transfer Methods workshops this year. The first workshop will take place on December 2, Wednesday, at Northern Water in Berthoud. A week later, the second meeting will be carried out on December 9, Wednesday, at Pueblo Community College. Both events are free, and run from 7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
The workshops will address how Colorado’s valuable irrigated agricultural lands can be protected for future generations by the adoption of alternatives to permanent agricultural dry-up. These alternatives, known as Alternative Transfer Methods (ATMs), are important voluntary tools that can provide water to a growing population in the state while still being beneficial to farmers, ranchers, and ditch and reservoir companies.
A wide variety of speakers have been invited to not only inform, but to solicit input from the agricultural and water communities. James Eklund, Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), and John Stulp, Special Policy Advisor for Water, from Governor Hickenlooper’s office will point out the importance of these tools in the context of Colorado’s Water Plan. Practitioners and experts in the field of ATMs will present on: the fundamentals, case studies, economic and valuation aspects, and legal, technical, financial, and other impediments of adoption. DARCA will detail its role in promoting ATMs for Colorado’s ditch and reservoir companies.