Some South Platte farmers, lacking water, had to auction their farms, according to the article by Jessica Fender. Because these farmers had depended on well water, which senior water rights holders claimed as legally theirs, the farmers had no water for irrigation. In 2007, after years of warning, the state ordered the shut down of wells of those farmers without augmentation plans, agreements that documented a replacement of water used from the wells.
The article cited bills under review or passed by the State of Colorado legislature, which address water issues in the state. They include House Bill 1174 and Senate Bill 147. According to the article, "farmers pay between $10,000 and $13,000 up front, per acre-foot, to purchase water rights if they can find them. They pay between $25 and $40 to lease an acre-foot of water from other users, according to estimates from the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.
Fender, J. (2009). A Well Runs Dry: Pending legislation comes too late to help some farmers on the plains. Denver, CO: The Denver Post.
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