City's water board seeks new water rental plan

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

The Fort Collins Water Board took its first step in a search for an equitable water rental system on Sept. 13, when it invited water renters from the Wellington and Waverly areas to offer their input on the issue.

While the meeting was generally amicable, it did highlight long-standing differences between large-scale ag producers and owners of small acreages. Available rental water has been tighter in the recent drought years, and the city has been unable to satisfy all requests.

Fort Collins currently owns 35.5 percent of shares in the North Poudre Irrigation Co. Each year, the city rents back some of that water to owners of both large and small acreages. In 2006, a new system of allocating the water was put in place, and this year it resulted in many unhappy people on water rental day at the NPIC office in Wellington. Some people stayed in line for days to rent what was available, and the water was snapped up quickly. It went mostly to large producers, and many others left with nothing.

More water became available later when the NPIC board increased its appropriation for shareholders, so many small-acreage owners were also able to rent water from the city. But, after the hubbub, the city promised to review its water rental policy.

Fort Collins' water rental policies have varied over the years. For several years, the city added up water requests and, based on what was available, gave each applicant a percentage of what was requested. In 2006, the system was changed to first-come, first-served, and it worked fine that year because there was enough water for everyone. In 2007, "the system fell apart" because of lean water supplies, according to Reagan Waskom, chair of the water board's water supply committee.

At the September meeting, large producers Lew Grant, Mike Matsuda, Eldon Ackerman and Chris Schnorr all argued that, because they contribute the most to the county's economy, they should receive some preferential treatment when it comes to rental water.

"You need to have a dependable water supply before you can do anything," Matsuda said.

Otherwise, he noted, it's difficult to plan. For instance, a farmer may have to plant sugar beets before he knows for sure about his water supply for the season.

Ackerman suggested the city look at historical use of water and favor people "who are strictly ag if the county wants to keep ag viable." He said if he can't rent the water he needs, he will have to subdivide some of his property.

Small-acreage owners also defended their position. Kathleen Kilkelly said small-acreage people like herself are in the position of having to rent water because large landowners sold off their water before subdividing. "We serve an important purpose, too," she said, in part by providing a buffer area between city and county.

Some small-acreage owners said they work together with neighbors to use the water they have efficiently.

Two participants in the meeting proposed specific solutions to the rental issue. Curtis Bridges suggested a "rule of five," whereby people who have rented water from Fort Collins in the past five years would receive an allotment based on the total amount, divided by five. George Wallace, representing Larimer County's ag advisory board, proposed a point system for determining eligibility. It would assign points based on annual agricultural income, history and size of operation, among other factors.

Waskom said the committee will meet next with city staff to see what rental policy would work best for them. "It's important for the board to meet the needs of the renters and the staff, and also to reflect the values of the citizens of Fort Collins, since they're the ones who own the water," he said.

Waskom noted that the water board values its partnership with agriculture. "They keep the water in productive use" when Fort Collins doesn't need it, he commented.

However, he added, "that water is our insurance against drought. At some time, we will need to use that water and also rent water from the farmers - as we did in 2003. Citizens have a vested interest in making this relationship work."

Waskom said he wants to develop a fair and transparent water rental system. He expects to take a recommendation to the entire water board either in November or January, since the board will likely not meet in December.