Volume 17 • Edition 16 August 21, 2024 Delivering to over 17,500 homes & businesses including all of Morgan County. This issue delivering to: Briggsdale, Brush, Fort Morgan, Grover, Hereford, Hillrose, Hudson, Keenesburg, New Raymer, Orchard, Roggen, Snyder, and Stoneham “Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light” George Washington “If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed” Thomas Jefferson
Big City Water Buy-Ups in the Lower Arkansas Valley Are Raising Alarms As Age-Old Battles Erupt Again
Aurora, Colorado Springs and Pueblo say they’re trying new methods to better protect farming communities after the water leaves. But bad memories linger in dry, rural areas, and calling it a “lease” may not help. by Jerd Smith and Michael Booth, The Colorado Sun OLNEY SPRINGS — From satellite view, the land north of the Arkansas River is a seemingly random checkerboard of vital green and desperate brown, quickly fading from a few thriving farm acres to the broad, water-drained desolation of northern Crowley County. From the cab of Matt Heimerich’s pickup, each alternating square of emerald corn or desiccated knapweed is a decision by a distant big city — to either share Colorado resources responsibly or toss rural Arkansas River counties to the fate of the hot summer winds. That square was reseeded with native grass after Aurora bought the water in the 1970s, Heimerich says. That plot, Colorado Springs dried up and it’s all weeds. That farm, Aurora wants to dry it up soon, but the water court referee wants a better reseeding plan. Heimerich’s family is one of the few farmers remaining in the 790 square miles of Crowley County after city water buy-ups shrank the county’s irrigated acres from more than 50,000 in the 1970s to fewer just a few thousand this year. He jumps down from the pickup to clear invasive kochia weeds from a pipe opening gushing cool canal water down a 1,500-foot corn row. Crowley is just the worst example of what can happen when nobody cares, and nobody pays attention. Two miles away is downtown Olney Springs, population 310. Crowley County as a whole has only 5,600 residents, and more than a third of those are inmates at two prisons. The only retail operation left in Olney Springs is a soda vending machine against the wall of town hall. As Heimerich clears his irrigation pipe, he pauses to jab a thumb over his shoulder 150 miles to the north at Aurora, where the population increased by more than 100,000 over 20 years. “When you build a new development, at the end of the day, you’re drying up a farm,” Heimerich said. “Where else is it going to come from?” “Crowley is just the worst example of what can happen when nobody cares, and nobody pays attention,” he said. The tiny community serves as an enduring reminder of the cultural and economic ruin that occurs when big cities in Colorado and elsewhere purchase farms, dry up the land and move the water to urban areas. It gave rise to the term “buy and dry,” a practice now widely condemned. The practice was supposed to end in the Lower Arkansas Valley in 2003 with a hard-fought federal court battle and settlement. Since then, state lawmakers and top water and farm agencies have changed laws and spent millions of dollars testing new protective methods for sharing water temporarily between rural and urban areas. They have also spent heavily to improve water quality for thousands of people living near the river who still don’t have clean water to drink. The big cities insist they have learned their lessons from the Crowley County disaster. “The results of what happened in Crowley County are unacceptable and widely recognized as a travesty,” said Colorado Springs Utilities spokesperson Jennifer Jordan. “We’ve taken those lessons to heart.” But outraged Lower Arkansas growers and water districts say new efforts to protect their farm water aren’t working. At the same time, the big cities say new laws making it easier to share farm water don’t provide enough reliable water to grow their communities. The cities also say big changes in the future water picture, climate-driven reductions in stream flows and threats to their Colorado River supplies leave them little choice but to draw more farm water. This year they did that, inking deals in the Lower Arkansas worth more than $100 million to buy and lease land and water, raising alarms among local growers and generating big questions about whether the state is doing enough to protect rural farm communities and the water that keeps them going. Buy and dry light The cities say a lot has changed in the past 20 years and that these new deals represent innovations in water sharing. But critics in the Lower Arkansas Valley say these same deals signal that no one is doing enough to prevent “buy and dry” or the latest tool in the water acquisition quiver, “lease and dry,” in which water is pulled Big City Water Buy-Ups In The Lower Arkansas Valley Are Raising Alarms As Age-Old Battles Erupt Again continued on page 4...
Thank You from the Southeast Weld Jr. Fair & Rodeo Association
by Jenna Pralle By definition, a Community is a group of people with common interests, and more broadly people living in a particular area. The last week attests that this Community leads with its common interests. The Southeast Weld County Jr. Fair and Rodeo celebrated its 102nd year of support for 4-H and FFA youth in the RE-3J school district, providing agricultural education and experiences for future development. In times of great uncertainty, it is surely a comfort that this tradition is alive and well! The second week of August in Keenesburg is more than the rodeos, parade, and Jr. Livestock Sale. They are long days of hard work, showing off the tireless hours members spend on their projects, learning skills and building relationships that will last a lifetime. The purpose of 4-H and FFA projects teach animal and environmental welfare, financial responsibility, honesty, integrity and acts of service. It is plain to see the benefit of being involved in 4-H and FFA as a youth member, or a parent/guardian of these growing minds. And it is obvious in the grandiose gestures of the business men and women in this community that it is a tradition worth carryingon. Monetarily through scholarships, livestock sales, project add-on donations, and sponsorships this community shows up. Past the dollars there is a list a mile long of mentors and volunteers who are supporting these young men and women to become the best versions of themselves. Each year, Thank You doesn’t seem to cut it when looking back at the donations of all kinds gathered by this community. Each year, this community becomes a larger family. And each year it is awe inspiring what good can come from a few short days in the August heat, or in this year’s case a few days of long anticipated cool and precipitation. In the history notes for the Southeast Weld County Jr. Fair we reference helping these young people grow. Just like the seeds sewn in agriculture, the requirements for sunlight and rain are the need for guidance and encouragement. An award winning crop is only as good as the nutrients and cultivation it is provided, and we hope we are providing top notch support to our best yields. The future is bright! Although it is never enough, the Southeast Weld County Fair Board would like to send a Thank You to each and every person and business who continue to show up for the future of this community. We could not do it without you and hope to see you all again real soon! Be grateful for the days we have because they are numbered, but each meaningful interaction with each other is a blessing to count!
Adding Briggsdale, Grover, Hereford, New Raymer & Stoneham to our second issue of the month distribution. Welcome!
WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE
Page 2: Way of the World Page 2: Loveland Archeological Society 90th Stone Age Fair Page 3: Colorado County Voter Turnout June 2024 Election Page 6: 75th Annual Northeast Weld County Rodeo Pictures Page 7: Wiggins School District Newsletter Page 10, 12 & 13: Morgan County Fair Events 2024 Page 1, 11 & 16: Southeast Weld County Jr. Fair & Rodeo Pictures