CO SB142

State engineer may identify and select three contiguous geographic areas within the South Platte River Basin, each up to 18 square miles, to participate in pilot projects with temporarily reduced augmentation requirements.

Pilot project areas must show sufficient evidence that augmentation is exacerbating historically high groundwater saturation levels, with goals to provide flexibility in reducing flooding and compiling data on effects of reduced augmentation.

State engineer may reduce augmentation requirements annually for up to 12-month periods while allowing augmentation plans to retain the same augmentation credits as full augmentation, and maintains authority to increase requirements to prevent injury to senior appropriators.

State engineer must follow the same notice and comment process as substitute water supply plans under Section 37-92-308, with water right owners able to file comments and state engineer determining whether reduced augmentation prevents injury to other water rights.

Section repeals effective December 31, 2017.