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October 19, 2012--State engineer says no dice to suspending irrigation rules (Pueblo Chieftain)

A time-out from Arkansas Valley surface irrigation rules is unlikely, even though farmers say they’re paying for water they’re not even using. At this week’s meeting of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, Dale Mauch, a Lamar farmer on the Fort Lyon Canal, asked State Engineer Dick Wolfe if the 2010 surface irrigation rules could be suspended until a study of pond leakage is complete. “Dick, we’d like to have the state help us, because sometimes it seems like you’re the enemy,” Mauch told Wolfe at one point. Mauch explained that under 2010 surface irrigation rules, he was required to purchase replacement water to augment his pond-fed sprinklers, even though he hasn’t been able to irrigate since mid-June because of the drought.

To view the full article, visit the Pueblo Chieftain. For a copy of the original article contact the WIP at (970) 247-1302 or stop by the office at 841 East Second Avenue in Durango, Colorado.


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