Sen. Merrifield: Delay of action on Colorado’s rain barrel bill is like ‘Groundhog Day’
DENVER – It seemed the everything was wrapped up, lock, stock, and barrel, but then the vote on a bill legalizing rain barrels in Colorado was postponed by the clearly irked chair of the Senate Agricultural, Natural Resources and Energy Committee.
“There has been a lot of misinformation put out on this bill,” Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, said Thursday afternoon. “I’m not comfortable. I’m going to help get an extension and we’re going to lay this over until I can be comfortable, until we can make sure that someone else isn’t paying for someone else’s rain barrel.”
Sonnenberg’s concern is that capturing rain water in barrels in urban areas for use at a later time will reduce the runoff flowing to agricultural areas that depend on peak flows during storms to provide water to those who own water rights on streams, creeks and rivers.
Sen. Michael Merrifield, a Colorado Springs Democrat and sponsor of House Bill 1005, said it’s like Groundhog Day (the movie) where the same day keeps being repeated.
During the 2015 legislative session, Sonnenberg delayed a vote in committee for almost a month until only a few days of session remained and it was impossible for the bill to pass.
“I had fully anticipated that the bill would pass and at least with a super-majority,” Merrifield said. “I’m still confident that we’ll pass a bill. I’d like to do it sooner than later.”
Merrifield said concerns could have been addressed on the floor with amendments.
Sonnenberg said he was thrown by testimony from the state water engineer Thursday and needs time to work out his concerns but he pledged to bring the bill for a vote.
“I’m tired of this,” he said. “I’m tired of this issue. I’m confident they have been very willing to work and talk and have these conversations. I think it’s fixable, I just honestly right now can’t think what that is. I will bring this to a vote even if I vote no. We will have closure on this.”
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State Sen. Michael Merrifield talks to another senator in the Senate Chambers during the first day of the 2016 Colorado State Legislature at the Capitol in Denver. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)