Morgan County calls for action on water
Steven K. Paulson, Associated Press
Published March 23, 2007 at midnight
WIGGINS - Morgan County officials told Gov. Bill Ritter on Thursday the county is facing "economic catastrophe" unless they get emergency help by April 15 for farmers whose water wells were shut down by the state in a water rights dispute.
They asked Ritter to issue an emergency executive order for a moratorium on shutdowns for two years so they can find a solution to a problem that has idled thousands of acres of farmland.
"My question to you, as the leaders of our state government, is, 'Are you willing to shoulder the blame for the clearly pending economic catastrophe in Northeastern Colorado which will be in full bloom by the next election, or are you ready to listen to the voices in the wilderness and have the courage and foresight to initiate changes which will avert or weaken the pending impact?" Don Jones, president of the Morgan County Economic Development Commission, asked Ritter.
Ritter told a packed gymnasium in this farming community on the plains that he understands swift action is needed, but he said he doesn't know if he can issue an executive order for a moratorium.
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