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* 1. Name (optional)

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* 2. Role (required)

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* 3. Designated Groundwater Basin:

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* 4. What do you see as some of the best opportunities for the Ogallala/High Plains Aquifer (HPA) region going forward to sustain agricultural productivity (irrigated, dryland, or livestock systems) and viable communities related to water?

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* 5. What barriers are standing in the way or need to be addressed to realize these opportunities?

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* 6. What issues and opportunities, unique to the High Plains Aquifer region, would you want to highlight in the Colorado Water Plan (CWP) Update?

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* 7. Are there past or existing success stories or failures related to addressing these challenges that should be highlighted in the Colorado Water Plan Update?

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* 8. Should the Colorado Water Plan Update include specific actions/strategies at multiple levels (e.g., Federal, state, local) supporting voluntary efforts to address High Plains Aquifer issues? Why or why not?

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* 9. Barriers to Conservation (required, ranking) - please rank the following identified barriers to voluntary, local groundwater conservation efforts in order of significance from 1 to 11 (1 being the least and 11 being the most pressing barrier to address):

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* 10. Are there other barriers missing from the list above, and if so, what are they, and how would you rank them (1-11)?

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* 11. Please describe the rationale for your ranking above or whether there are other significant barriers to the adoption of voluntary, local groundwater conservation efforts.

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* 12. What is the appropriate role of the Federal government (e.g., USDA, USGS) in supporting local Ogallala Aquifer conservation efforts? (check all that apply)

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* 13. Please describe any feedback on the following programming in regards to Federal support for regional and local groundwater conservation efforts (if none, please state that):

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* 14. From 1 to 5, with 5 indicating strong support, please indicate your support for the following Federal strategies:

  1 2 3 4 5
Establishing a limited-irrigation crop insurance option 
Crop insurance incentives/discounts for water conservation practices 
Expansion of voluntary, compensated irrigated land retirement programming
Financial incentives (e.g., tax incentives) for conservation 
Support through succession planning programs to encourage and help pay for implementation of conservation-oriented strategies and tools
Groundwater management district eligibility for USDA conservation funding to support regional-scale water conservation projects/initiatives
Establishment of new, natural-resource conserving market opportunities for producers (e.g., carbon markets, soil health)
Financial and technical support to encourage market transitions to water-conserving crop varieties (beyond research)
Assisting communities within the High Plains Aquifer region to adopt socio-economic adaptation and resiliency strategies to prepare for economic impacts of aquifer depletion
Expanding affordable connectivity/broadband access to make it easier to use telemetry and other technologies
Maintaining public-private funding and support for efforts like the Ogallala Water Coordinated Agriculture Project.

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* 15. Please provide any additional insight or comments on Federal support for local, voluntary groundwater conservation initiatives in Colorado.

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* 16. What is the appropriate role of state government (e.g., Division of Water Resources, CWCB) in supporting local, voluntary Ogallala Aquifer groundwater conservation efforts?

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* 17. Colorado Groundwater Commission: In your opinion, is there anything that could be done at the commission level to better support/encourage regional or local, voluntary groundwater conservation efforts - any barriers at the commission level?

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* 18. Coordination: In your opinion, please describe your thoughts concerning current efforts to coordinate Federal, state, and local strategies to encourage voluntary groundwater conservation in Colorado.

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* 19. Are there any recommendations for improving collaboration generally?

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* 20. Are there currently any gaps in communication between government entities and other stakeholders affecting local groundwater conservation efforts?

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* 21. From 1 to 5, with 5 indicating strong support, please indicate your support for the following state-level strategies:

  1 2 3 4 5
Mandatory measures including, but not limited to, requiring all designated groundwater basins to adopt conservation plans.
Adopt a state policy recognizing the importance of the High Plains Aquifer to Colorado and the critical need to support local, voluntary groundwater conservation initiatives
Financial support for public-private research initiatives, groundwater monitoring, and information sharing through cooperative extension, conservation districts, and other local stakeholders
Financial support for educational and peer-to-peer programming including, but not limited to, the Colorado Master Irrigator Program and the potential expansion of the University of Nebraska Testing Ag Performance Solutions (UNL-TAPS) program
State recognition and technical/financial support for the establishment of district-level, voluntary groundwater conservation initiatives similar to Local Enhanced Management Areas or Water Conservation Areas
Direct financial support through grants for groundwater management district programming
Initiate a comprehensive review of existing state law to eliminate or modify existing legal disincentives to participate in voluntary water conservation programming such as “use it or lost it”
Expand representation of groundwater management districts in state water policy and planning initiatives through the development of dedicated seats on existing Basin Roundtables
Provide more regional autonomy for discussing and addressing designated groundwater management issues through the establishment of a new Basin Roundtable representing these regions
Establishment of new, natural-resource conserving market opportunities for producers (e.g., carbon markets, soil health, water banking, energy efficiency)
Financial and technical support to encourage market transitions to water-conserving crop varieties (beyond research)
Assisting communities within the High Plains Aquifer region to adopt socio-economic adaptation and resiliency strategies to prepare for economic impacts of aquifer depletion and drought
Maintaining funding and support for multidisciplinary research and outreach projects such as the Ogallala Water Coordinated Agriculture Project within Colorado.

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* 22. Please describe any thoughts on the current or future role of lending institutions, regional cooperatives, crop advisors, and irrigation/agricultural equipment providers to encourage/support local groundwater conservation.

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* 23. Similarly, please describe any thoughts on the current or future role of non-ag community members.

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* 24. Please describe any thoughts on the current or future role of peer-to-peer education programmings, such as the Colorado Master Irrigator Program or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Testing Ag Performance Solutions (UNL-TAPs), in encouraging groundwater conservation.

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* 25. Please describe any thoughts on the current or future role of supply-chain incentives through the business community, such as Field to Market, to encourage groundwater conservation.

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* 26. Please provide any additional comments or information, including references to current programming and studies, that will be helpful to CWCB staff in preparing the Colorado Water Plan Update

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* 27. Are you open to additional dialogue and updates? If so, please provide an email (will not be shared):

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