Actual property builders focused on exporting water they personal from the San Luis Valley to fast-growing, water-short Douglas County have contributed 1000’s of {dollars} to candidates for the Parker Water & Sanitation District Board, one of many largest water suppliers within the county.
Final month, Robert Kennah gained a seat on the Parker water board and had acquired two donations from companions in Renewable Water Assets, an actual property growth group whose principals embrace former Colorado Governor Invoice Owens. The contributions have been made by RWR principals John Kim and Hugh Bernardi, in keeping with filings on the Colorado Secretary of State’s workplace.
A second RWR-backed candidate, Kory Nelson, additionally acquired $10,000 in donations from RWR, however didn’t win a seat on the Parker water board. Nelson is contesting the outcomes of the election.
If Nelson had gained, RWR would have ties to a few members of the five-member board, in keeping with Parker Water & Sanitation District Supervisor Ron Redd.
Parker board member Brooke Sales space is said by marriage to RWR principal Sean Tonner, Redd stated.
Large cash
Sales space, Kennah and RWR didn’t reply to a request for remark. Nelson couldn’t be reached.
Such massive contributions are uncommon in low-profile water district board elections, the place candidates typically present their very own funding for his or her campaigns of some hundred {dollars}, fairly than 1000’s, in keeping with Redd.
“That’s some huge cash for a water board race,” Redd stated.
The donations come after Douglas County Commissioners final 12 months declined to put money into RWR’s controversial $400 million San Luis Valley pipeline proposal utilizing COVID-19 aid funding. Douglas County Commissioners Lora Thomas and Abe Laydon voted towards the funding, whereas Commissioner George Teal supported the proposal.
Amongst different objections, the county stated that RWR’s declare that there was sufficient water within the San Luis Valley’s aquifers to assist the export plan, was incorrect, based mostly on hydrologic fashions introduced over the course of a number of public work classes.
The county’s attorneys additionally stated the proposal didn’t adjust to the Colorado Water Plan, which favors initiatives that don’t dry up productive farmland and which have native assist.
Opposition to the proposal within the San Luis Valley is widespread. The Rio Grande Water Conservation District in Alamosa argues that no water ought to be taken from the San Luis Valley as a result of it’s already going through main water shortages as a result of ongoing drought and over-pumping of its aquifers by growers. The valley faces a looming nicely shutdown if it will probably’t cut back its water use sufficient to carry its fragile water system again into steadiness.
Out of compliance
That lack of compliance signifies that Douglas County would doubtless not win any potential state funding for the export proposal.
Final 12 months, after the county rejected the San Luis Valley proposal, RWR stated it will proceed to work with Douglas County to see if its objections might be overcome. It has additionally maintained that the agricultural water it owns within the San Luis Valley could be pulled from a portion of the valley’s aquifer system that’s renewable, minimizing any injury that may happen from the mission, and that regardless that farmlands could be dried up when the water is exported, the valley’s water scenario would profit from a discount in agricultural water use.
RWR’s water rights, nonetheless, haven’t but been transformed to municipal use, as is required beneath Colorado legislation. That course of may take years to finish and would doubtless be fiercely contested by farm pursuits within the San Luis Valley, in addition to different opponents.
County leaders within the San Luis Valley in the meantime are taking motion to thwart any additional makes an attempt to siphon water out of the valley. Commissioners in Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties are taking public touch upon a “joint planning space” settlement that may require all of the counties to comply with any transfers of water out of the valley.
The intergovernmental settlement is allowed beneath state 1041 rules that give native governments room to manage growth and shield assets designated as a “state curiosity.”
The settlement would require any water developer to get approval from all six counties for “main new home water techniques.”
Nonetheless, RWR continues to deepen its ties to Douglas County water districts. RWR principal John Kim, one of many contributors to the Parker water board elections, gained a seat final 12 months on the Roxborough Water and Sanitation District Board, in keeping with the district’s web site. Kim lives in that district. He declined a request for remark.
Douglas County authorities doesn’t ship water to its residents, however depends on greater than a dozen particular person communities and water districts to offer that service.
Quick-growing cities and water districts early on merely drilled wells into aquifers, however the aquifers have been declining and water districts have been compelled to implement aggressive water conservation applications, water reuse applications, and use of native floor provides to satisfy their wants.
No assist
Two of the most important water suppliers in Douglas County, Parker Water and Sanitation District and Fort Rock Water, have stated they’d not assist the RWR proposal as a result of that they had already spent thousands and thousands of {dollars} creating new, extra sustainable, politically acceptable initiatives. These initiatives embrace a South Platte River pipeline that’s being developed in partnership with farmers within the northeastern nook of the state.
A number of politicians throughout the political spectrum got here out towards the RWR proposal as nicely, together with Gov. Jared Polis and Rep. Lauren Boebert, who represents the San Luis Valley.
Nonetheless, Douglas County’s Teal, who has additionally acquired funding from RWR principals, stated he believes the RWR water may have a task to play in serving to make sure the county has sufficient water to develop over the subsequent 50 years.
“I don’t know [if we have enough water,]” Teal stated. “That’s a part of what makes me marvel if we do have sufficient. Water initiatives take time. There isn’t any snapping your fingers after which delivering 10,000 acre-feet of water.”
However Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas says the county’s water suppliers are nicely ready for the long run and there’s no must spend cash on a mission that has little public assist and which can by no means come to fruition.
“We’re safe with out it,” Thomas stated. “However I feel that RWR is doing every little thing it will probably to get Douglas County to purchase into their scheme.”
Lengthy shot?
Floyd Ciruli, a pollster and veteran observer of Colorado politics who has achieved in depth work prior to now for Douglas County water suppliers, stated the RWR initiative faces an uphill battle.
“They’ve resistance at each ends,” Ciruli stated, referring to opposition within the San Luis Valley and within the metro space. “It’s attention-grabbing that [RWR] is contributing to those boards. It’s is an actual lengthy shot.”
Parker Water and Sanitation District says it plans to proceed its growth of the South Platte pipeline mission in northeastern Colorado and to craft offers with farmers in order that agricultural water gained’t be faraway from farmlands, serving to protect the agricultural economic system there. Most of Parker’s water rights have already been permitted for municipal use, in keeping with Redd.
“We’re involved as a result of Parker water has little interest in the RWR mission and we principally said {that a} 12 months in the past when Douglas County was taking a look at their mission. It has no clear path to being achieved. It’s years if not many years earlier than they might even get began,” Redd stated.
“We’ve a transparent path. We have already got the water. I’m not positive what the intent was to try to get individuals on our board. It’s simply regarding.”
Jerd Smith is editor of Recent Water Information. She may be reached at 720-398-6474, through e mail at [email protected] or @jerd_smith. Recent Water Information is an impartial, nonpartisan information initiative of Water Schooling Colorado. Join the e-newsletter at wateredco.org.
Originally posted 2023-06-08 10:20:00.