Gov. Bill Owens on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for Eastern Plains farmers who had their irrigation wells shut off as a result of a recent state engineer ruling.
The declaration means that farmers who suffer an economic loss as a result of the lack of water will be eligible for federal aid.
Owens spokesman Dan Hopkins said state dollars might also be funneled out of a $1 million agriculture emergency and drought fund.
“It has become clear now that we’re in a situation where some counties will be facing an economic disaster,” Hopkins said.
State engineer Hal Simpson this week moved to shut off more than 400 wells along the South Platte River that provide water for about 200 farms.
Farmers say the move will ruin many of their crops, costing them thousands of dollars in lost sales.
“I really hate the word crisis, but we’re just that far along in the season,” said Gary Herman, a Platteville farmer. “This would be a very different story had we gotten the news back in February.”
During the 2002 drought, farmers who used groundwater for irrigation adversely affected the flow of the South Platte River and farms that relied on the river’s water.
That spurred a 2002 law requiring farmers who use irrigation wells that tap underground aquifers to replace the water they take.
For the past three years, the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District has been scrambling to find adequate water supplies to help farmers offset the amount used by the deep irrigation wells.
Among the district’s strategies are building new reservoirs and purchasing water rights from municipalities.
However, recent dry conditions and the growing thirst of several Front Range cities made the water hard to find.
“With the prices right now, we just can’t compete against the municipalities,” said Greg Hertzke, the district’s water acquisitions manager.
Lawmakers representing Colorado’s agriculture belt applauded Owens’ intervention, but they said more needs to be done.
“While people are watering their lawns in Boulder, we won’t have Colorado sweet corn or broccoli in the grocery store,” said Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma. “This is a perfect storm in which a drought, recent court rulings and regulatory inflexibility come together to create havoc in agriculture.”
The Weld County commissioners also adopted a resolution Wednesday declaring a countywide emergency.
The commissioners are also writing to municipalities along the South Platte River urging them to adopt watering restrictions to help drive water back into the South Platte River.
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
