Sponsors (2)
The bill clarifies and grants maintenance authority to local water entities to enable faster repairs and better water reliability for local users, at the cost of modest potential expenses and possible jurisdictional coordination challenges.
Local water authorities (Eagle River Water and Sanitation District and Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority) are explicitly authorized to maintain Bolts Ditch and the headgate, allowing them to carry out repairs and maintenance more quickly and with clearer legal authority.
Residents and water users served by those entities (primarily rural communities) may experience improved water reliability and reduced downtime because maintenance responsibility is clarified.
The change could create overlapping jurisdiction or coordination issues with other listed entities, risking confusion or delays if responsibilities are not coordinated.
Taxpayers or utility ratepayers could face modest additional costs if the authorities assume new or increased maintenance expenses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds two Colorado water entities to the federal list authorized to maintain Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate.
Adds two Colorado entities—the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District and the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority—to the list of entities authorized to maintain Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate under existing federal law. The change is a narrow, technical amendment to an earlier conservation and recreation statute to explicitly recognize these local water authorities' maintenance authority.
Official title: Amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado.
Introduced February 3, 2025 by Michael F. Bennet · Last progress February 3, 2025