s_agr_2017a_2017-04-06t13:37:40z4 Hearing Summary

Date: 04/06/2017

Location: SCR 357

05:43 PM -- HB 17-1219



Senator Crowder and Senator Donovan, co-prime sponsors, described the provisions of House Bill 17-1219 that extends the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) fallowing and leasing pilot program. Under current law, the CWCB in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) administers a pilot program to demonstrate the practice of fallowing irrigated agricultural land and temporarily leasing the associated water rights. Fallowing refers to the practice of leaving plowed agricultural land unseeded for one or more growing seasons. Current law allows the CWCB to authorize up to ten projects with a duration of ten years each. Of these ten projects, the CWCB may authorize no more than three projects in any one of the four major river basins: the South Platte, the Arkansas, the Rio Grande, and the Colorado. Applications to sponsor a pilot project must be received by the CWCB no later than December 31, 2018. All pilot projects must be completed by 2029. This bill makes the following changes to the program: the CWCB may authorize up to 15 pilot projects;. no more than five pilot projects may be located in any one of the four major river basins; applications to sponsor a project must be received by December 31, 2023; and all projects must be completed by 2034.



The following persons testified on the bill:



05:45 PM -- Dr. John Stulp, Water Policy Advisor for the Governor, testified in support of the bill and explained the need for the pilot projects. Dr. Stulp responded to questions from the committee regarding the pilot program and the need to extend it by five years. He also explained that the Catlin Pilot Project in the Lower Arkansas River Basin is currently the only pilot project in the state.



05:52 PM -- Glen Hirakata, Hirikata Farms, spoke in support of the bill and explained he is a participant in the Catlin Pilot Project in the Lower Arkansas River Basin.



05:54 PM -- Jen Boulton, Colorado Audubon Society, Colorado Trout Unlimited, spoke in support of the bill.



05:54 PM -- Chris Treese, Colorado River Water Conservation District, spoke in support of the bill.



05:56 PM -- Leah Martinsson, Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, spoke in support of the bill and explained why more pilot projects have not been implemented.



06:00 PM -- Dianna Orf, Colorado Water Congress, spoke in support of the bill.



06:01 PM



The chair closed testimony, and Senator Crowder and Senator Donovan closed their remarks on the bill.