As a Boulder resident, I spoke out at the Sept. 15 City Council meeting against the sale of bulk water to a golf course for the uber-rich 150 miles away. I proposed several actions that the Council should take. Many Boulder residents also attended the meeting and supported these actions.
The first is requiring that the City Council approve all bulk sales larger than a local general contractor’s needs. Currently, the mayor approves bulk sales and they do not have to go through the council. The Council should not only have to approve these unusually large sales, but they should provide time for public input so that Boulder gets a say in where our water goes.
The Council should also increase the rate for sales to out-of-county buyers. They are taking our water out of our aquifer so we should make substantial money if we are going to sell it. Finally, an advisory council is a long-term goal. There is currently a watershed study of the Boulder River. One of the main focuses of that study is understanding the potential impacts to surface-water flows from increased groundwater withdrawals. It has been suggested that the upper Boulder River be added to the study.
