Business & Community Development
Changing the Face of Brighton...
We, as average citizens, go through our daily lives enjoying what our City of Brighton has to offer. It’s getting to be the time of year where weekends are about recreating outside with our families. The last few weekends have been wonderful for planting flowers and vegetables...getting ready to produce the colors and products of summer. Have you noticed in your travels lately that there don’t seem to be as many crops planted in the fields surrounding Brighton? Possibly it hadn’t dawned on too many of us that a lot of the fields are not being planted. We will, however, notice when one of our favorite summer pastimes of visiting the local farmer’s markets begins to become a thing of the past. Why would this happen, you might ask?
Water rights are at the center of this dilemma. Due to a Supreme Court ruling in 2001, the decision making power for how the water was distributed from the South Platte River changed. Colorado’s State Engineer prior to 2001, worked tirelessly to deliver water to the State to successfully accomplish its maximum beneficial use. After 2001’s ruling, a Water Court, administered by a judge, is making the decisions regarding the distribution of this same water. Years of experience gained by the State Engineer was tabled to defer to lawyers and political pressures for new development all over Colorado. Interestingly, this issue is at the crux of how we ultimately define Brighton.
Currently, many of the farmers who were allowed to have wells on their properties are no longer allowed their use. After investing many years and their fortunes to develop these resources, they’re now being shut down. Many farmers have not planted their crops as the ditch rights and surface rights to water they are now permitted by the Water Court will not carry them through an entire growing season with water. The farmer has to guess whether or not they can have enough water to irrigate their crops. Understandably, the risk is too great to plant and not have enough water. Thus, some of your favorite vegetable stands may be closed this summer.
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