From The Pueblo Chieftain (Matt Hildner):
The second groundwater management subdistrict in the San Luis Valley cleared an initial hurdle earlier this week.
Rio Grande County District Court Judge Pattie Swift approved the formation of Subdistrict No. 2, although the finalization of a water management plan remains.
There were no protests or objections filed with the court, according to Swift’s order.
The subdistrict lies roughly along the Rio Grande between Alamosa and Del Norte, and only includes landowners who volunteered to join.
It takes in 230 groundwater wells. As with its larger predecessor — Subdistrict No. 1 in the north-central part of the valley — the primary goal is to mitigate the impacts of groundwater pumping on surface water users.
The valley’s groundwater is hydraulically connected in varying degrees to the region’s streams and rivers, meaning that pumping can cause losses to surface water users.
The subdistrict’s parent organization, the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, is seeking to organize as many as four other subdistricts around the valley.
The mechanisms used to raise funds from members have yet to be determined, but the subdistrict’s annual revenue will not exceed $4 million in 2014 dollars.
The subdistrict’s petition for formation included a draft water management plan, but it will be subject to public hearing and approval of the Colorado Division of Water Resources before it can be finalized.
Should objectors remain after those steps, the subdistrict’s water management plan could also be subject to water court review.
