You're a cannabis grower? Well, no water for you!

[lurtsman]

Jazz,

I haven't forgot about you. I'm just dealing with a very large up coming exam. Afterwards, I'll try to get in to post a thoughtful response. It's a shame you moved out of Colorado, because you seem like a great guy to have a beer with. Or, some beverage that tastes less awful than beer but serves the same end.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by GregW

Maybe it is time for the congress to rewrite all of the Western Water law into a cohesive and rational plan for the equitable distribution of a scarce substance. Distributing water as a quantity instead of a ratio is an absurdity as illustrated by the IIRC Six States Compact.

As far as the current topic is concerned I think what the recipient does with the water he is allocated is his business not any governments.

That is exactly what the Lower Basin states want and it would be unmitigated disaster for the Upper Basin states. The Upper Basin simply lacks the political clout at the Federal level prevent being left with practically no water at all. That is why the Upper Basin States, even with a Colorado River Compact that is unfavorable to them, have done everything possible for many decades to prevent a wholesale re-opening of the Compact at the Federal level.

As to the other comment above, what people just don't understand--especially those from the East and other places where water rights are riparian (that is, tied to the land)--is that water in Colorado is owned by the state of Colorado or, in cases of some Federal water projects, by the Federal government. That is why Colorado land owners are granted, through the adjudication process, a RIGHT to use water, not outright ownership of it. In fact, in strict legal terms, a landowner can not warrant title to a water right on a Warranty Deed conveying land. Typically, the conveyance language on a Warranty Deed will read something like "the Southeast Quarter of Section 6, Township 13 South, Range 89 West of the 6th Principal Meridian together, without warranty, a right to 1 cubic feet per second flow of the ABC Ditch, as described in the Decree recorded at . . . "

Sorry, GregW, I read your continual posts about wanting to relocate to the Rocky Mountain West, but you have one hell of a lot to learn about this region and its heritage before you can really have coherent opinions about what is or isn't a good idea when it comes to things like resource management, especially water.

Again, the Feds have little to say about whether water stored or diverted without Federal involvement and Federal expenditures is used to grow MJ, but relatively little of Colorado's water was developed without some level of Federal involvement (e.g. Bureau of Reclamation) and expenditure of Federal taxpayer dollars. Many of those projects continue to be controlled and at least partially funded by the Federal government. In those cases, the Feds do have say in the matter and they do exercise it--and in more than just matters of using the water for MJ plants.

All of this goes back to a very schizophrenic and love/hate relationship between Westerners and the Federal government that goes back more than a century. On one hand, Westerners are prideful of their independence and being able to make a living in what can be a very hostile natural environment, but, on the other hand, that would have been impossible without the Federal government involvement in land management, water projects, and other federal investments in the region.

[Josseppie]

I saw on the news that if a grower wants to grow MJ in the city of Pueblo they will have water as the Pueblo Board of Water Works says they will sell them water. As of now they will only sell water to growers in the city but I suspect that when they take up the lease again for growers in the county they will pass it.

I think this is a good idea and they should pass it for the entire county. We have a lot of water why not use it to make Pueblo county the place for Mj growers in this region. Pueblo the little Amsterdam? Has a nice ring to it.

This is from KOAA - Pueblo/ Colorado Springs:

PUEBLO - Marijuana entrepreneurs hoping to apply for licenses to grow in the City of Pueblo need not worry about a lack of water. The Pueblo Board of Water Works said today they will not restrict water sales to any commercial or residential customers in the city.

The link: Board agrees to water weed in Pueblo, turns down lease to county | KOAA.com |