By John Mattingly
The effort by San Luis Valley water users to self-regulate – and sustainably manage – the surface and groundwater systems of the Valley with sub-districts is now approaching a decade in process.
In 2004, Senate Bill 04-222 and HB-1198 basically offered Valley water users a carrot and stick: either come up with a system of sub-districts that restored the Valley’s aquifers to levels seen in the base period – 1978 through 2000 – and then manage the Valley’s aquifers sustainably thereafter, or submit to command-and-control rules and regulations from the state.