Plains farms may get water

Jerd Smith, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 13, 2006 at midnight

Text size

More Local News

Eastern plains farmers whose irrigation wells were shut down by the state last week received some good news Friday when a preliminary deal was reached that may allow them to buy water from the Western Slope.

Without water, more than $1 million of crops are likely to die within 10 days, said Jim Reasoner, president of the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District.

The deal reached Friday, which officials caution still has not been approved by all parties, calls for moving 10,000 acre-feet of water from the Western Slope, enough for this summer's crops on the affected farms.

The water would come from the Windy Gap Project through the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District and might allow farmers to restart their pumps as early as next week, said Greg Hertzke, water acquisitions manager for the district.

Several cities and irrigation ditch owners participating in the Windy Gap Project agreed to the proposal. But the cities of Boulder, Highlands Ranch and Sterling, which have been sharply critical of the well owners, had not approved the agreement.

State Engineer Hal Simpson also must approve any plan.

Friday morning, members of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy Board, the state's second-largest water provider, agreed to transfer as much as 10,000 acre-feet of additional water to the farmers. The district serves such cities as Fort Collins and Loveland.

"We need something on those fields in nine to 10 days," Reasoner said. If farmers can't water by then, he said, "it's too late."

Eric Wilkinson, Northern's manager, said 14 water districts and towns are backing the relief measure, but he said it's just a temporary fix.

The farmers served by Central would have to pay the estimated $600,000 it would cost to move the water from Northern's Western Slope reservoirs, Wilkinson said.

It's not clear yet how many of the 200 farms affected by the shutdown of 440 irrigation wells would benefit from the emergency measure.

Aurora, too, has said it will free up water for the farmers. Late Friday, Aurora Utilities Director Peter Binney said 500 to 1,000 acre- feet might be available but that the technical calculations aren't finished.

To restart the wells would likely require an emergency trip back to water court, where those who have objected to the irrigation wells would have to approve any new plan to pump this year, Reasoner said.

The cities of Boulder, Highlands Ranch and Sterling and farmers who rely on the river's surface supplies say pumping from the wells has reduced flows in the South Platte River. Those water users, and others, successfully sued the state in 2002 after the drought struck, saying the state had not properly administered the wells.

Following the lawsuit, a stricter law was passed that requires well owners to find new water supplies, to put more water back into the river to offset their use of well water and to have their water plans approved in court. The wells draw from the same shallow aquifer that also supplies the river.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News