staff report
WALSENBURG — At the board meeting of the Huerfano County Water Conservancy District on February 26, the board was given a tour of the district’s new website, www.hcwcd.net, by Rick Dunn, who designed, developed and maintains the site for HCWCD. The website includes information about current and completed grant projects HCWCD has sponsored, “good neighbor” projects, the recently adjudicated Huerfano River basin regional augmentation plan and ongoing work on the reservoir site that is currently being mined by Huerfano County for gravel.
The board reviewed a list of suggestions for updates to Huerfano County’s Comprehensive Plan, and agreed to forward them to the planning commission for its March 22 meeting. The suggestions include a requirement that applicants demonstrate they have a reliable water supply before their land use application can be approved. This would ensure that future development in Huerfano County will be supported by physically and legally reliable water supplies. Examples of reliable water supplies include: a contract with a municipal water provider, an approved substitute water supply plan, a water court decree, a letter from the office of the Water Division 2 Engineer, an augmentation certificate or a long-term lease under the HCWCD regional augmentation plan.
The HCWCD water engineer, John Faux at TZA Water Engineers, has determined that the district will start running water from the William Craig Ditch through its augmentation station in late March and begin filling its recharge pond in mid-April. Both facilities are integral components of the regional augmentation plan. “We’re going to need to start as early as we can in this dry year,” commented board member Kent Mace.
Board president Scott King told the group that no written offers were received in the past month for the District’s ranch, “But it is winter,” he admitted. Historically known as the “William Craig” and also as the “Camp” Ranch, the property was purchased by HCWCD in 2014 for the senior water rights necessary to establish the regional augmentation plan. It was put on the market in mid-December.
