The Water Information Program

Developers have derailed a plan to require proof of their water supply before county commissioners approve new subdivisions, the bill's sponsor said Tuesday. State Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, canceled a hearing Tuesday afternoon for her House Bill 1141. Home builders and cities have rounded up enough opposition in the House Local Government Committee to kill the bill if she had moved ahead. "I think this is a responsible growth bill," Curry said. "I'm frankly disappointed at the opposition. I think it's not too much to ask to say that water supplies are sustainable prior to the approval of a new subdivision." An additional 3 million people are expected to move to Colorado in the next 30 years, mostly to the Front Range, demographers say. At the same time, the state is nearing the limit of the water it can expect under the Colorado River Compact of 1922 - the supreme water law in the southwestern U.S. Curry's bill is delayed "until further notice," she said. But its future is in doubt. "It's an uphill climb to get support from the opponents," Curry said. The Colorado Association of Home Builders opposed the bill, saying counties already do a thorough job of examining new subdivisions. The state shouldn't intrude, said Rob Nanfelt with the association. "It was almost creating a de facto land-use czar at the state level," Nanfelt said. The bill would require developers to declare their proposed water source and get letters from a professional engineer and the state water engineer testifying to a long-term water supply. Counties already require developers to show they have an adequate water supply, Nanfelt said. But they don't always follow the specific steps in Curry's bill. 

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