| 5/6/2009 10:17:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Nestlé water marathon continues
By Joe Stone
The fifth marathon hearing regarding permit requests from Nestlé Waters recessed at 11 p.m. Tuesday with participants setting 1 p.m. May 21 for continuation in a location to be determined.
Chaffee County Commissioners opened the public hearing at 1 p.m. Tuesday regarding the Nestlé special land use and 1041 permit applications.
After future hearings are officially closed, commissioners will have 60 days to reach a decision regarding issuance of the Nestlé permits.
Consultants for Nestlé and Chaffee County attended the meeting and addressed eight areas of concern regarding the special land use and 1041 permit applications: economic impacts, groundwater impacts, water rights, wetland impacts, traffic concerns, air quality impacts, visual impacts and planning document consistencies.
Analysis provided Tuesday by THK Associates of Aurora clarified economic impacts of the project, indicating several benefits to the county, including $2.3 million in total wages for project labor and $4.8 million for materials.
The only items contracted outside the county would be specialized work, such as directional drilling to route a pipeline under the Arkansas River.
It would add $2.4 million in assessed property value, generating more than $18,000 in property taxes for 2010 and more than $500,000 during the next 30 years.
THK analysis projected annual tax payments of more than $8,000 for Chaffee County Fire Protection District, $5,000 for Northern Chaffee County Library District, $2,500 for Salida Hospital District and about $1,000 for Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District.
In addition to a $500,000 community endowment, Nestlé committed to an annual giving program and reimbursement of extraordinary county expenditures not covered by tax payments.
Representing Nestlé, Steve Sims, former senior water counsel for the Colorado Attorney General's Office, clarified questions associated with Nestlé' proposed lease of Aurora water for augmentation.
Sims stressed the Aurora water would come from the Colorado River Basin and would be augmented upstream from the Nestlé project site. A plan proposed by Salida and Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District would have relied upon augmenting water downstream from the site, creating in-stream flow issues and other concerns.
Sims reported, "Aurora's water portfolio includes 52,000 acre-feet and will increase to 100,000 acre-feet in 2010 when their Prairie Waters project comes online."
Given the small percentage of Aurora water leased by Nestlé, Sims said drought-year worries are unfounded and emphasized the plan would be strictly controlled by Colorado Water Court.
Sims noted Chaffee County agricultural rights are senior to the Aurora rights and could not be affected by the augmentation plan.
Martina Wilkinson explained the Nestlé traffic study in detail indicating uphill truck traffic isn't associated with wrecks between Johnson Village and Trout Creek Pass summit.
In fact, she said, wildlife and excessive downhill speed create most crashes in the corridor.
The Nestlé project would actually reduce visual impacts and enhance area wetlands by restoring the existing trout farm site.
Air quality impacts were determined as insignificant.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Article comment by:
Dick Ziminski
Were the Nestle representatives the only ones at the meeting? Where is your reporting on the other side?
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