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Panel weighs compromise on exempt wells and 'combined appropriation' definition
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony on SB 436, an exempt‑well bill that would codify a statutory definition of 'combined appropriation,' retain 35 gpm / 10 acre‑ft sideboards and add an allotment of 1 acre‑ft per 2 acres; supporters called it a necessary compromise for housing and development, while opponents said it leaves cumulative impacts and monitoring unresolved.
Senate Bill 436 would incorporate into statute a definition of 'combined appropriation' and set limits for exempt groundwater wells, aiming to clarify long‑running disputes over how multiple small developments combine to use the same aquifer.
Sponsor Sen. Carl Glimm described the bill as a ‘fairly simple’ exempt‑well measure intended to put the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s (DNRC) existing combined‑appropriation rule into statute. Key features explained by the sponsor include a per‑acre allocation—1 acre‑foot of annual appropriation for every 2 acres of parcel—and maintenance…
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