9B5CF06E0A622A338725810F007392FF Hearing Summary

Date: 04/27/2017

Location: SCR 357

03:00 PM -- HB 17-1291



Senator Coram, prime sponsor, discussed the provisions of House Bill 17-1291, concerning the ability to store water at an alternative place of storage if the historical consumptive use of the water right has already been quantified in a previous change of water right. The bill allows water that has been decreed for storage to be stored in any reservoir without adjudicating a change of water right under certain conditions. These conditions include: the water will be diverted from a previously decreed point of diversion; the owner or operator of the storage water right gives notice to the division engineer in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on how the storage of the water will be accounted for in the alternative reservoir; transit and ditch losses, if applicable, will be assessed against the water right from the decreed point of diversion to the alternative reservoir; and the division engineer approves the accounting for the storage of the water in the alternative reservoir.



The following persons testified on the bill:



03:04 PM -- Kevin Niles, Arkansas Groundwater Users Association (AGUA), testified in support of the bill and discussed the benefits of the bill for AGUA customers. Mr. Niles responded to questions from the committee regarding the AGUA's diversion in Pueblo how many wells AGUA serves.



03:09 PM -- Eric Potlandy, City of Ft. Collins, stated that the city has not taken an official stance on the bill, but is expected to support the bill. Mr. Potlandy discussed the bill and responded to questions from the committee regarding the need to have the ability to store water in a location that is not outlined in the original water right decree.



03:10 PM



The char closed testimony.