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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Regensberg		DATE TYPED:	03/12/03		HB	HJM 106/aHAGC
SHORT TITLE:		Gray Wolf Ranch Water Tank Study				SB
					ANALYST:		Chabot

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY03	FY04	FY03	FY04
	NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Office of the State Engineer (OSE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HAGC Amendment

The House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee amendment adds that the study should including determining whether the water tanks impound live springs constituting the headwaters of the Agua Negra and Mora rivers. It also changes the reporting of the findings to the appropriate committee.

Synopsis of Original Bill

House Joint Memorial 106 resolves that the State Engineer be requested to conduct a study to determine whether the water tanks at the Gray Wolf Ranch in Chacon exceed the state allocation of water per stock tank and report the findings of the study to the interim water and natural resources committee.

Significant Issues

The memorial states that the Gray Wolf ranch in Chacon has contributed to water shortages by constructing dams that block water flow into the Agua Negra River and accordingly to the Mora River.

OSE states that the Grey Wolf Ranch ponds have previously been inspected by representatives of both the Dam Safety Bureau and the Water Rights Division of the Office of the State Engineer on August 28, 2001. Under present statutes and the rules and regulations of the State Engineer, the ponds were found to be legally constructed and legally impounding water for stock watering

purposes. None of the inspected ponds on the Grey Wolf Ranch contained more than 10 acre-feet of water and those that were above 10 feet in height were found to be non-jurisdictional with respect to dam safety.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The interim water and natural resources committee is not a standing committee of the Legislature. Recommend on page 2, lines 10 and 11 striking everything after “report” and inserting “to the appropriate committee at the August 2003 meeting; and”

GAC/prr:yr