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Meadow discussion highlights annexation ordinance requiring developed water rights and homeowner concerns
Summary
At a Meadow meeting, officials and a commissioner discussed the towns annexation rule that requires developed water rights and raised concerns that homeowners building wells may be affected; the meeting closed with a motion to adjourn.
Meadow officials discussed the town—s annexation ordinance and water-rights requirements, with a commissioner warning that homeowners who build wells without sufficiently "safe" priority dates could lose access to water rights.
The discussion centered on an ordinance the town uses when property is annexed. A speaker identified in the meeting as a commissioner said the ordinance requires that anyone annexing to the town must bring developed water rights and that the priority date on those rights matters. "If anyone annexes to town, they bring gated, developed water rights. Unless they bring a priority date that is pretty sound, that's worthless," the commissioner said.
The commissioner tied the town—s rule to broader water-stabilization planning, referencing a plan called the Perilon plan and saying it would require going "back on tier by tier by tier, all the way back to day 1" to stabilize aquifers. "They have to stabilize the aquifers," the commissioner said. The speaker also noted the rule applies regardless of how many water rights an owner holds: "You own water rights. This is whether you got 1 or a thousand, it doesn't matter. I don't know if that'll affect towns and streams and..."
A meeting participant thanked the commissioner and emphasized the local effect of the ordinance: "We have in our ordinance, we have written that if anyone annexes to town, they bring gated, developed water rights... 1950 might not be safe and that's what you bought," the participant said, referring to older priority dates. The meeting included the observation that people are still receiving shares and building homes in areas where wells are being drilled, and that those homeowners may not realize future curtailments: "They shouldn't stop and let those homeowners know, hey. Don't build it. We're gonna probably end up taking your water. That's your own Those people don't even know what they're Hey," the commissioner added.
No formal change to the ordinance was proposed during the discussion. The only formal action recorded in the transcript was a motion to adjourn, which was seconded and passed by voice vote.
The conversation combined a technical description of the town—s annexation requirement, references to an external water plan called the Perilon plan, and warnings from officials and participants about how priority dates for water rights (including references to the year 1950 as an example of an older priority date) could affect homeowners who drill wells after annexation.
