The Water Information Program

Water bills are high on the agenda for Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, and Reps. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, and Mary Hodge, D-Brighton. “Number one for me is to be helpful with regards to the Republican River compact,” said Brophy, who wants to drain Bonny Reservoir to save about 5,000 acre-feet of water lost to evaporation each year and apply it to Colorado’s compact obligations. “We can drain the thing by converting existing state storage rights into an instream flow to Kansas,” he said. Gardner said he believes Bonny can be drained, even though it was built and is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as a flood control reservoir. He cited a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that give state water law precedence over federal law. “Bonny was built strictly for flood control and was never intended to be for wildlife habitat and recreation,” Gardner said. “Bonny is 50 percent of our compact compliance and, unfortunately, has become an anchor instead of an opportunity. We are selling our souls down the river to keep an evaporating lake on its last legs.” Gardner and Brophy also are hoping to secure state backing for a water pipeline that is part of the Republican River Conservation District’s plan to bring the state into compliance in its compact with Kansas and Nebraska. Colorado was out of compliance as of Dec. 31, 2007. Brophy and Hodge are teaming up to carry one of the few bills to emerge successfully from this summer’s task force on the South Platte River wells that have been shut off because they lack augmentation plans. Their bill would eliminate the need for augmentation of wells that were drilled prior to 1974, but with depletions that have not yet reached the river. Both admit the measure does little to resolve the well crisis in Weld, Adams and Morgan counties.

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