The Pueblo Chieftain editorial staff is urging state lawmakers to pass HB 1352 - Concerning an expansion of water judges's jurisdiction to address the effects of a water right adjudication on water quaility, introduced by Pueblo West representative, Buffie McFayden. From the article, "The Pueblo West Democrat's bill would allow a water judge to include a term or condition that addresses the damages to water quality caused by a transfer of a water right if that change caused more harm than allowed by standards established by the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission.
"Tying the measure of water quality to the commission's standards would give a water judge a specific benchmark to base a decision. These standards are well understood by the water community, so there would be no guesswork involved.
"Furthermore, the party seeking the change in use of a water right would be held liable only for the damages that change might cause, not others that may have previously occurred.
"The transfer would have to exceed 1,000 acre-feet of water per year. This would exempt many transfers that can occur between individual farmers or towns on a given river."
Category: Colorado Water
7:59:52 AM 
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