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71C88A1D71A907058725889400730E50 Hearing Summary

PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For NON-TRIBUTARY WATER RESOURCES

INTERIM COMMITTEE WATER RESOURCES AND AGRICULTURE REVIEW COMMITTEE
Date Aug 4, 2022
Location Old State Library

Non-tributary Water Resources - Committee Discussion Only


	02:56:50 PM	Tracy Kosloff, Deputy State Engineer, Colorado Division of Water Resources, gave an overview of tributary versus non-tributary groundwater.
	02:59:32 PM	Greg Deranleau, Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), introduced his presentation. He spoke about produced water as exploration and production waste, which is managed by COGCC, associated with the production of oil and gas materials.
	03:06:20 PM	Mr. Darenleau spoke about how water is reused and recycled in oil and gas drilling. He told the committee about prior efforts to treat and use waste water associated with oil and gas operations, none of which have been successful thus far.
	03:09:50 PM	Dr. Dave Stewart, Stewart Environmental Consulting Group, LLC, introduced his presentation about non-tributary water treatment as a new water resource. He gave an overview of the current challenges in water supply and water storage costs. He told the committee where non-tributary water is available. He showed examples of existing water laws and regulations around produced water in Colorado.
	03:19:20 PM	Dr. Stewart talked about the potential to use tax incentives or tax credits for the reuse of non-tributary water through treatment and discharge. He spoke about the steps needed to encourage discharge.
	03:25:11 PM	Dr. Stewart told the committee that he is looking for a bill that would provide a tax credit for investment into the treatment of non-tributary water and to help address ownership and liability issues.
	03:26:09 PM	The committee members asked questions about the legislation that currently exists in other states. Dr. Stewart talked about how other states are managing the liability that comes with this type of program.
	03:30:51 PM	Ms. Kosloff answered a question about why the state wouldn't explore this as an option and about the quality of water.
	03:32:00 PM	Dr. Stewart answered a question about how much this water would cost and who could buy the water. He also spoke about what the potential new supply would be with this water.
	03:34:56 PM	The committee asked a question about how the water would be transported. Dr. Stewart told the committee about how the water source can be used to augment existing wells rather than moving the water from place to place.
	03:38:07 PM	The committee asked questions about how a tax credit would work, how the treatment process would work with agriculture, and how the water permitting would work.
	03:43:11 PM	The committee continued to ask questions about the scope of treating the water and how much water could potentially be treated for use.
	03:49:48 PM	Mr. Deranleau talked about the potential for water return over time.
	03:54:36 PM	The committee asked about how much it costs to treat the water and how that cost could be offset by the tax credit.
	03:57:15 PM	Dr. Stewart continued to discuss how the water is treated and how much water would be able to be used.

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