Plug pulled on Eastern Colorado Plains water
Plug pulled on Eastern Colorado Plains water
Unless all involved parties sign off on an emergency measure to buy water from Colorado's Western Slope, a recent decision to shut down nearly 450 irrigation wells on the state's Eastern Plains could lead to catastrophic losses for some farmers and outright bankruptcy for others.
A preliminary deal came to light May 12 that could offset a water engineer's May 8 decision to shut down 449 wells from Brighton to Fort Morgan northeast of Denver. Essentially, the deal would allow affected farmers to buy water from the Windy Gap Project through the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District and could transfer as much as 10,000 acre feet of additional water to the 200 farms affected by the shut-off.
However, such a transfer would cost an estimated $650,000, and it is unknown if the measure will meet with approval from the cities of Boulder and Sterling, both north of Denver, the Henrylyn Irrigation District, also north of the city, and the Centennial Water and Sanitation District south of Denver. All the entities have water needs of their own and rely on the surface water supplies of the South Platte River.
Just days before Colorado Gov. Bill Owens declared a state of emergency, also on May 12, State Water Engineer Hal Simpson, who must also approve the water transfer deal, made his decision to pull the plug on the wells for farmers.
If the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District plan meets with approval, farmers could see water coming within days. However, if the plan is denied, more than $1 million in crops could die within 10 days.
CCWCD Executive Director Tom Cech said May 15 that his group was working with the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District to secure 10,000 acre feet of water from the Windy Gap Project, but Mr. Cech said that operational criteria must be met, the $650,000 must be paid up front and several entities and individuals must sign off on the proposal.
If it is approved - -and Mr. Cech said to mitigate disaster approval needed to come by May 19 -- the solution is stopgap, with Windy Gap a one-time source of water for the Eastern Plains farmers. "It's a temporary solution to a long-term problem," Mr. Cech said, adding that senior water rights in Colorado "have so much control that they are placing enormous demands on junior well-water rights."
To expedite the plan, Mr. Cech said that his office has been working with Agriculture Commissioner Don Ament, who in turn has been in communication with Gov. Owens. And U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) sent a letter to President Bush asking for relief for the farmers of Weld, Morgan and Adams counties in the form of a Presidential Disaster Designation.
"You and I know the margins operated on in farming are thin and that the closing of these wells and the potential crop loss will equate to bankruptcy for some and devastating losses for all," the senator wrote.
Meanwhile, the issue of drought and water shortages continues to reverberate in parts of Colorado. In fact, the shut-down of the Front Range wells was ordered in an effort to protect the drought- affected South Platte, which, along with all the designated wells, feeds from a common aquifer that has been depleted without replenishment during several consecutive drought years.
On May 10, Mr. Simpson told the Rocky Mountain News that his ordering the wells turned off was a difficult decision, and farmers told The Produce News that the move could be the end for some crops this year and the end of some farms altogether.
By some estimates, the 200 farmers represent as much as 20,000 acres planted in a variety of crops, including onions, broccoli, corn, carrots and potatoes.
David Petrocco of David Petrocco Farms Inc. in Brighton, CO, said that his operation of 1,800 acres will see some effect from the shutdown.
"I do have some wells that have been denied pumping," Mr. Petrocco said on May 11. "But we are contesting this, and it's not over yet. The augmentation company [Central Water Conservancy District] has a last breath, and they're trying to come up with more water and may rescue the wells."
In all, Mr. Petrocco has 15 wells affected and 20 wells that are not affected by the ruling.
He said May 11 that he was 65 percent planted, with mixed veg yet to go into the ground. And he said that there is no crop priority -- all his crops are on an equal basis.
"I have four major crops, which are cabbage, storage onions, leaf lettuce and bunched greens," he said.
While Mr. Petrocco was awaiting word from the layers of bureaucracy that hold the fate of Colorado's Eastern Plains farming in a collective hand, he said there were other producers who "have thrown in the towel."
He said, "If an individual chooses to go forward [in securing water], it will take a lot of money."
And Mr. Petrocco said that the reasons behind the shutdown are two-fold, the first pressure coming from the drought and the second from "objectors -- cities that want to shut the wells down and maintain their own water supplies."
He added, "There's also pressure from labor this year, because no one is looking for a job anymore. There must be a lot of competition [for labor] this year from industries."
Sakata Farms Inc. of Brighton was, according to coverage by the Rocky Mountain News, also in the wake of water well shutdown repercussions.
Bob Sakata, who could not be reached in time for deadline, had told the Rocky Mountain News that he had spent $264,000 planting 300 acres of onions, sweet corn, carrots and broccoli, and three wells he had planned to use on those acres will be turned off.
Mr. Sakata, who has another 19 wells and river water rights to irrigate his large farming operation, said that the 300 acres in question would likely not survive.
Some of the large grower operations in the area are not affected by the shutdown. Justin Ensor of Griffin-Holder in Greeley, CO, said that his 627 acres of onions in the area will not be affected, and Ralph Villano of Villano Bros. in Fort Lupton, CO, said that his family operation is "in the old district with no crops impacted at this time."
Mr. Villano added, "But who knows what's going to happen down the line."
At Grant Family Farms in Wellington, CO, Andy Grant said, "We're not part [of the area subject to shut-downs]. We're closer to the foothills and in a different district."
And in Eaton, Alan Kinoshita of Fagerberg Produce said that there were some growers in the region who are affected, but Fagerberg itself, a major grower-shipper of onions, does not have wells subject to the shut-down. However, at Martin Produce in Greeley, field manager Randy Knutson said that the farming side of the operation, Zabka Farms, does have wells that are affected.
"We have 17 wells for Zabka Farms that are affected and three wells for Martin Produce to run potato washing," Outside farms for which Martin packs have a total of 25 wells, and Mr. Knutson said that there are some 500 acres of onions and 700 acres of potatoes.
The operation does have surface water rights off the South Platte in addition to the wells, but Mr. Knutson said that the farm relies on the wells early in the season when the crops are first planted.
"The potato crop is all planted," he said, adding that the supplemental water request was turned in to the proper agencies last December when the plan was due, and the decision to shut down the wells came nearly six months later.
"We've now invested $1,200 an acre in our transplant onion crop," Mr. Knutson said, noting that there are 175 acres of transplants between Zabka and the outside growers.
The transplants will be dug beginning in mid-July and wrapping up in mid-September, and direct-seeded onions, which are also all planted, will wrap up in early October.
Water needs for the potatoes and onions vary through the season, Mr. Knutson said, and he added that the time for strategizing by bureaucratic agencies has come and gone.
"We are out of time," Mr. Knutson said prior to the Friday announcement. "The time-line is critical, and it is now. Farmers who don't have surface water will have to depend on rainfall." Mr. Knutson called the announcement by Gov. Owens "admirable, but all it does is open up counties to low-interest loans. The last thing a grower needs is another loan."
Farmers were looking to the third week of May for a decision on the water transfer deal.
A preliminary deal came to light May 12 that could offset a water engineer's May 8 decision to shut down 449 wells from Brighton to Fort Morgan northeast of Denver. Essentially, the deal would allow affected farmers to buy water from the Windy Gap Project through the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District and could transfer as much as 10,000 acre feet of additional water to the 200 farms affected by the shut-off.
However, such a transfer would cost an estimated $650,000, and it is unknown if the measure will meet with approval from the cities of Boulder and Sterling, both north of Denver, the Henrylyn Irrigation District, also north of the city, and the Centennial Water and Sanitation District south of Denver. All the entities have water needs of their own and rely on the surface water supplies of the South Platte River.
Just days before Colorado Gov. Bill Owens declared a state of emergency, also on May 12, State Water Engineer Hal Simpson, who must also approve the water transfer deal, made his decision to pull the plug on the wells for farmers.
If the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District plan meets with approval, farmers could see water coming within days. However, if the plan is denied, more than $1 million in crops could die within 10 days.
CCWCD Executive Director Tom Cech said May 15 that his group was working with the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District to secure 10,000 acre feet of water from the Windy Gap Project, but Mr. Cech said that operational criteria must be met, the $650,000 must be paid up front and several entities and individuals must sign off on the proposal.
If it is approved - -and Mr. Cech said to mitigate disaster approval needed to come by May 19 -- the solution is stopgap, with Windy Gap a one-time source of water for the Eastern Plains farmers. "It's a temporary solution to a long-term problem," Mr. Cech said, adding that senior water rights in Colorado "have so much control that they are placing enormous demands on junior well-water rights."
To expedite the plan, Mr. Cech said that his office has been working with Agriculture Commissioner Don Ament, who in turn has been in communication with Gov. Owens. And U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) sent a letter to President Bush asking for relief for the farmers of Weld, Morgan and Adams counties in the form of a Presidential Disaster Designation.
"You and I know the margins operated on in farming are thin and that the closing of these wells and the potential crop loss will equate to bankruptcy for some and devastating losses for all," the senator wrote.
Meanwhile, the issue of drought and water shortages continues to reverberate in parts of Colorado. In fact, the shut-down of the Front Range wells was ordered in an effort to protect the drought- affected South Platte, which, along with all the designated wells, feeds from a common aquifer that has been depleted without replenishment during several consecutive drought years.
On May 10, Mr. Simpson told the Rocky Mountain News that his ordering the wells turned off was a difficult decision, and farmers told The Produce News that the move could be the end for some crops this year and the end of some farms altogether.
By some estimates, the 200 farmers represent as much as 20,000 acres planted in a variety of crops, including onions, broccoli, corn, carrots and potatoes.
David Petrocco of David Petrocco Farms Inc. in Brighton, CO, said that his operation of 1,800 acres will see some effect from the shutdown.
"I do have some wells that have been denied pumping," Mr. Petrocco said on May 11. "But we are contesting this, and it's not over yet. The augmentation company [Central Water Conservancy District] has a last breath, and they're trying to come up with more water and may rescue the wells."
In all, Mr. Petrocco has 15 wells affected and 20 wells that are not affected by the ruling.
He said May 11 that he was 65 percent planted, with mixed veg yet to go into the ground. And he said that there is no crop priority -- all his crops are on an equal basis.
"I have four major crops, which are cabbage, storage onions, leaf lettuce and bunched greens," he said.
While Mr. Petrocco was awaiting word from the layers of bureaucracy that hold the fate of Colorado's Eastern Plains farming in a collective hand, he said there were other producers who "have thrown in the towel."
He said, "If an individual chooses to go forward [in securing water], it will take a lot of money."
And Mr. Petrocco said that the reasons behind the shutdown are two-fold, the first pressure coming from the drought and the second from "objectors -- cities that want to shut the wells down and maintain their own water supplies."
He added, "There's also pressure from labor this year, because no one is looking for a job anymore. There must be a lot of competition [for labor] this year from industries."
Sakata Farms Inc. of Brighton was, according to coverage by the Rocky Mountain News, also in the wake of water well shutdown repercussions.
Bob Sakata, who could not be reached in time for deadline, had told the Rocky Mountain News that he had spent $264,000 planting 300 acres of onions, sweet corn, carrots and broccoli, and three wells he had planned to use on those acres will be turned off.
Mr. Sakata, who has another 19 wells and river water rights to irrigate his large farming operation, said that the 300 acres in question would likely not survive.
Some of the large grower operations in the area are not affected by the shutdown. Justin Ensor of Griffin-Holder in Greeley, CO, said that his 627 acres of onions in the area will not be affected, and Ralph Villano of Villano Bros. in Fort Lupton, CO, said that his family operation is "in the old district with no crops impacted at this time."
Mr. Villano added, "But who knows what's going to happen down the line."
At Grant Family Farms in Wellington, CO, Andy Grant said, "We're not part [of the area subject to shut-downs]. We're closer to the foothills and in a different district."
And in Eaton, Alan Kinoshita of Fagerberg Produce said that there were some growers in the region who are affected, but Fagerberg itself, a major grower-shipper of onions, does not have wells subject to the shut-down. However, at Martin Produce in Greeley, field manager Randy Knutson said that the farming side of the operation, Zabka Farms, does have wells that are affected.
"We have 17 wells for Zabka Farms that are affected and three wells for Martin Produce to run potato washing," Outside farms for which Martin packs have a total of 25 wells, and Mr. Knutson said that there are some 500 acres of onions and 700 acres of potatoes.
The operation does have surface water rights off the South Platte in addition to the wells, but Mr. Knutson said that the farm relies on the wells early in the season when the crops are first planted.
"The potato crop is all planted," he said, adding that the supplemental water request was turned in to the proper agencies last December when the plan was due, and the decision to shut down the wells came nearly six months later.
"We've now invested $1,200 an acre in our transplant onion crop," Mr. Knutson said, noting that there are 175 acres of transplants between Zabka and the outside growers.
The transplants will be dug beginning in mid-July and wrapping up in mid-September, and direct-seeded onions, which are also all planted, will wrap up in early October.
Water needs for the potatoes and onions vary through the season, Mr. Knutson said, and he added that the time for strategizing by bureaucratic agencies has come and gone.
"We are out of time," Mr. Knutson said prior to the Friday announcement. "The time-line is critical, and it is now. Farmers who don't have surface water will have to depend on rainfall." Mr. Knutson called the announcement by Gov. Owens "admirable, but all it does is open up counties to low-interest loans. The last thing a grower needs is another loan."
Farmers were looking to the third week of May for a decision on the water transfer deal.
