WRAY, Colo.—Yuma County voters have overwhelmingly approved a $20 million measure to buy water rights to keep irrigation wells in the farming area pumping.
Approval Tuesday of the plan follows a tentative settlement of a court case pitting well owners against owners of surface rights to water in the Republican River. The dispute threatened to shut down 1,300 irrigation wells in the northeastern Colorado county, among the nation’s largest corn producers.
Voters had to ratify the agreement because the county must raise property taxes and issue bonds to buy the water rights.
Use of the Republican River has come under increasing scrutiny because Kansas says Colorado and Nebraska are using more than their share under a compact among the states.
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Information from: Rocky Mountain News,
