County reports progress on water-rights change application including Rocky Ford shares
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Summary
County staff said they filed a change application to recharacterize water rights after acquiring Rocky Ford shares and other rights; the application was advertised and a protest period ran through Oct. 21, with additional filings planned for other water rights.
A county representative updated the commission on a formal change application filed with the state water-rights office. The change application seeks to treat acquired Rocky Ford shares and previously acquired water rights as eligible for winter use under the county’s Class A water authorization (Class A 1870), replacing prior summer-storage-and-release requirements.
Staff said the change application was prepared with the state water-rights office’s materials and that advertising for the proposed change occurred; the transcript records that an objection/protest period ran with a deadline of Oct. 21. Staff told the commission they expected routine protests from nearby entities such as Beaver City and other adjacent water users and planned to follow normal protest-response procedures.
The county also received 15 acre-feet of water associated with a sale (noted in the meeting as being linked to Puffer Lake property) that staff included in the application. Staff said they will file a separate change application for additional historic orders tied to Kents Lake water.
No formal commission action was recorded; staff described the change application process and next steps for responding to any protests and filing follow-up documentation.