PUEBLO, Colo. – Water and water rights will be the topic of an upcoming symposium next week here.
“Your Water, My Water and Who Has the Right” is the theme of the conference, hosted by The Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance. The 16th annual conference is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday, Feb. 21 – 23 at the Pueblo Convention Center, 320 N. Main St.
The three-day conference kicks off Wednesday with a scheduled bus tour, focusing on sustainability solutions. Participants will tour different farming and water resources in the Arkansas River Valley, with speakers and operations focused on a variety of topics, including irrigation efficiency, soil health, infrastructure improvements and water quality.
Thursday, Kevin Rain, state engineer with the Colorado Dept. of Water Resources, will present the keynote address. Friday’s keynote speaker will be retired Colorado Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hobbs.

Rein will offer an overview of the state-level administration of water rights and uses. Justice Hobbs will talk about the history of Colorado water and the law.
Following the Thursday keynote, a seasoned panel of attorneys will discuss water rights and uses within a decree.  Topics will include ways to resolve disputes between shareholders, transferring shares, transferring rights, expansion of uses, easements, urban encroachment and return flow impacts to ditches and what to do about it.  
Additional conference speakers include Doug Kemper, executive director of the Colorado Water Congress, explaining current legislative efforts and their potential impacts on agriculture water. Greg Felt, a member of the water conservancy district board and a Chaffee County Commissioner, will be the Thursday luncheon speaker. He’ll talk about the different types of water uses.
Concurrent sessions on a variety of topics are scheduled both Thursday afternoon and Friday. Topics Thursday will include ways to address invasive species, urban encroachment and impacts of chemical use on water quality and infrastructure. Another session will focus on the use of drones in ag-based applications.
Friday sessions will discuss if “don’t fix it until it’s broken” is a good infrastructure management practice, as well as a look at the history and the future of the Colorado Big Thompson and the Fryingpan-Arkansas projects.
Later Friday, the perspective of marijuana growers focused on acquiring water and state administration of those water rights will be discussed. A parallel session will cover financial resources through the Colorado Water Plan and availability to fund reservoir and canal improvements, water storage and efficiencies.
For more information on the conference, visit www.darca.org.