U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release May 18, 2006		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852
Sen. Salazar Encourages Front Range Cities & Irrigation Cos. To Aid Farmers in Need of Water Denver, CO – Farmers and Ranchers on the eastern plains, already suffering from a prolonged six year drought, have had their water-wells suddenly shutoff by the state. Many of these farmers planted irrigable crops that will now wither on the vine without well-water irrigation. Today, Senator Salazar encouraged cities and irrigation companies along the Front Range to help relieve the looming agricultural thirst. Senator Salazar wrote a letter to the cities of Boulder and Sterling and irrigation companies controlling water in Highlands Ranch, Hudson and Keenesburg. Senator Salazar’s letter is included below: May 18, 2006 Mr. Frank Bruno Boulder City Manager Municipal Building 1777 Broadway – 2nd Floor Boulder, CO 80306 Mr. Joe Kiolbasa Sterling City Manager P.O. Box 4000 Sterling, CO 80751-0400 Henrylyn Irrigation District Attn: Rodney Baumgartner, Manager 617 Birch Hudson, CO 80642 Centennial Water & Sanitation District 62 W. Plaza Drive Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 Gentlemen: I am writing to encourage you to do what you can, as quickly as you can, to help relieve the crisis for Colorado farmers along the South Platte whose wells have been shut down. Their crisis is immediate, and your decisions and actions over the next few hours and days are critical. I fully understand the complexities of this issue; I know that there is no simple fix in either the short-term or the long-term. However, I strongly believe that in the West, we help our neighbors through hard times when we can. This is one of those times. These farmers’ crops will wither and die within days if there is no water. The loss of these crops, could, ultimately, result in the loss of these farms, with foreclosures across eastern Colorado. I urge you to act immediately to help in this emergency situation. Sincerely, Ken Salazar United States Senator # # #