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9BB0409750BD5CB88725889400633FAA Hearing Summary

PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCY IN AGRICULTURE

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

Aging Infrastructure and Economic Resiliency in Agriculture - Committee Discussion Only


	12:04:11 PM	Lauren Ris, Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), introduced the presentation. She spoke about the lack of a funding stream to the basin roundtables for water projects, which has made planning difficult. She discussed the changes that were made in the past with Senate Bill 09-106 and Senate Bill 21-218, which created a Severance Tax Trust Fund allocation. She told the committee about the need for a statewide matching fund for aging infrastructure and drought resilience.
	12:09:59 PM	Ms. Ris discussed past funding and how money would become available. She answered a question about what types of projects could be funded with additional money.
	12:12:47 PM	Ms. Ris spoke about the different Water Plan grant projects and the next steps they are taking.
	12:14:15 PM	Kathleen Curry, Gunnison Basin Roundtable, discussed the Water Supply Reserve Fund. She told the committee about how it was created and why.
	12:16:18 PM	Ms. Curry spoke about the current needs to help with aging infrastructure.
	12:20:16 PM	Les Owen, Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), introduced his presentation. He spoke about irrigation needs and water delivery infrastructure needs.
	12:21:51 PM	Mr. Owen spoke about the current programs in CDA and the need for technical assistance across the state.
	12:23:00 PM	The panelists responded to questions about the funding and the project needs in terms of workforce and material availability. Ms. Curry spoke about the permitting process and the challenges of not having the capacity to build the projects that could be funded.
	12:28:57 PM	Ms. Ris answered a question about water storage.
	12:31:55 PM	Committee members asked questions about how the basin roundtables distributes money and how the money is used.
	12:42:16 PM	Ms. Ris answered questions about water rights and how the grants are distributed.
	12:42:48 PM	Ms. Curry spoke about the grant criteria and the constraints that currently exist in state statute.
	12:45:34 PM	The committee made comments about the limits on severance tax funding and asked about planning for future funding streams. Ms. Ris talked about other potential sources of funding.
	12:47:54 PM	The committee took a break for lunch.
	01:17:31 PM	The committee reconvenved.

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