' Water Policy Subcommittee 



Survey of Lessors 

 Page 2 



O It's a great program. It 's winAvin: for sportsmen, because they are able to 



decrease the demand for water with installation of a sprinkler system; and for 

 water users with salvaged water. 



O Works very well. It depends on the discipline of the people monitoring. 



o Went pretty well. It was linked with a Future Fisheries grant for a fish friendly 



diversion— that part is complicated and still unresolved. 



o Not too bad — lam weighing whether or not it is worth it for me. [He is not 



producing hay where he once was.] So far it is working okay because it is wet. 

 What will happen when it is dry? 



One lessor noted that it took a long time to negotiate an agreement with FWP: 



o . The biggest trouble was the slow negotiations, hurdles. FWP took way more time 

 than necessary to reach an agreement. They used a lawyer. Liter [Spence] and 

 Ron Spoon [FW/P staff\ were great to work with. ,, , . 



In contrast, another lessor indicated that the water lease negotiations with FWP went well: 



o FWP contracted with a private attorney and it went smoothly. Not cumbersome. 



Two people mentioned that obtaining the change authorization from the Department of Natural 

 Resources and Conservation (DNRC) took a long time: 



o It took six to eight months for DNRC to process the change authorization. 



o / have no complaints about FWP, but I do have a complaint about the water 



bureaucracy — DNRC. I was required to prove that my neighbors didn 't need the 

 water. I don 't understand this. I feel that if you have a water right, it is yours. 



What changes could be made to improve the program? ^ 



Two people mentioned that FWP should ensiu-e that the streams are monitored to ensure that the 

 leased water is not being used by someone else: 



O FWP should hire someone to monitor the creeks when they lease water. 



Monitoring should be considered an expense of leasing. It would only be 

 necessary for two to three months of the year. 



G.7 



