抖阴ap

PUEBLO –Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill Monday that for the first time will allow water court judges to consider environmental impacts and water quality along with quantity when considering large, permanent transfers.

The measure (House Bill 1132) allows water judges to reject applications to remove 1,000 acre-feet or more from a river if the removal would be environmentally harmful to the river.

“The Lower Arkansas Valley is an example of our need to pay attention to water quality whenever we talk about water transfers,” Ritter said. “This will make a difference statewide. We as a state need to do all we can to protect this precious resource. Water quality and quantity should be viewed together.”