{"id":253,"date":"2026-05-19T10:33:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=253"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:33:58","slug":"revegetation-bill-will-shape-how-colorado-cities-buy-and-dry-farm-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=253","title":{"rendered":"Revegetation bill will shape how\u00a0 Colorado cities buy-and-dry farm water"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Southeastern Colorado\u2019s farmers and farming communities say they\u2019ve won valuable protections against the historic worst practices of cities\u2019 \u201cbuy and dry\u201d of agricultural water, after final passage of revegetation requirements along the Lower Arkansas River that may spread to other basins of the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Silver Plume has protected more than 3 acres of land per resident<\/a><\/p>\n

Gov. Jared Polis is expected to sign the measure, House Bill 1340, after officials from his Department of Natural Resources testified favorably for the bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time in Colorado, this new law establishes that when irrigation water is permanently removed from farmland for other uses, the responsibility to properly revegetate and reclaim that land belongs to the entity removing the water,\u201d said Jack Goble, general manager of the bill\u2019s primary advocate, the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also strengthens the role of local counties by requiring the water court to incorporate their revegetation criteria and enforcement mechanisms into change-of-use decrees. At its core, this law sets clear expectations, creates accountability and helps protect the land, neighboring landowners and rural communities that are left behind when water leaves,\u201d Goble said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Southeastern Colorado advocates conceded some measures after the bill\u2019s introduction.\u00a0<\/p>\n