While waiting for a decision on the mine's protested application to transfer water rights to their wells for use at Copper Flat, I thought you might be interested in the positions finally taken by all the parties in the trial.
Today's intelligence from state and/or national reporting: Seven-state negotiations over future Colorado River water distribution cuts have stalled again.
I submitted an IPRA for the engineering document that relates to the city's legislative request last year and this year. Finally, I received a relevant document this year; only three pages long, but enlightening.
What the city commission and chief of police say and what the ballot language says differs. And whether the people can afford to pay for emergency and long-term repairs to the water infrastructure, as well as pay for a "public safety building" has never been asked or answered.
The city received a $7.5-million grant/loan from USDA for a water project, but it comes with interim-financing requirements that are complicated and expensive. The USDA waits until after construction is completed before it gives the grant or loan. The grant is for $2.7 million and the loan for $4.8 million.
We, the poor rate payers whose water rates have gone up about 80 percent in the last five years, hope the city gets both of these legislative requests, otherwise rates are going to go up even more, according to T or C Mayor Rolf Hechler.
In the State Engineer's Hearing on the transfer of water rights for use in operating Copper Flat Mine, lawyers representing local protestors filed their written arguments against the transfer.
So often we head from one year into the next with vague notions of things we should work on changing. Perhaps this year, pause, and then dive into 2024 with strong convictions for change