The legality of Aurora’s $80 million purchase of a farm and its water rights is disputed by leaders in southeastern Colorado, who say the deal violates a two decade-old agreement to stop the …
A cow crosses the Arkansas River east of John Martin Reservoir, near Hasty in southeastern Colorado’s Bent County, on March 11, 2021. A farm deal in neighboring Otero County that could supply water to Aurora in metro Denver has drawn local protests. The legality of Aurora’s $80 million purchase of a farm and its water rights is disputed by leaders in southeastern Colorado, who say the deal violates a two-decade-old agreement to stop the booming suburban city from using water meant for crops.
The farm purchase was necessary to help expand water supply for the city’s future, said Alexandra Davis, Aurora Water’s assistant general manager of water supply and demand. The water rights could provide 22,500 acre-feet of water to the city every 10 years — or enough water for 45,000 families for a year.
The farms were then fallowed — a practice now known as “buy and dry” that can decimate rural communities reliant on irrigated farming., which manages infrastructure that brings water to southeastern Colorado. The agreement bans Aurora from purchasing and permanently transferring water to the city from the basin.
But Davis said the water won’t be permanently transferred out of the basin, as it will be used for farming in most years. Aurora has attempted in past arrangements to lease water from farmers in dry years but has found that difficult. Crop prices rise in a dry year, which incentivizes farmers to plant instead of leasing water, Davis said. It’s also difficult for farmers to dry up land without extensive notice.
Removing water from a region reliant on farming sets in motion a snowballing set of negative economic consequences, Long said. Less water means less farming. Less farming means fewer jobs and less money flowing into the local businesses that sell farming equipment. Fewer jobs and fewer farm businesses mean less spending at restaurants, less tax revenue and, eventually, population loss.
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