On Monday, April 21, 2008, Governor Ritter signed HB 1280 into law. Known as the Healthy Rivers Act, HB 1280 was sponsored by Rep. Randy Fischer and Sen. Gail Schwartz. It encourages water-right holders to lease or loan rights to the Colorado Water Conservation Board for environmental purposes to protect instream flows in rivers and streams. Numerous environmental groups, many water providers, and other interested parties, including the Colorado Water Trust, supported the bill, which passed the House 59-6 and the Senate 32-2.
“As an avid fly-fisherman, preserving Colorado’s rivers and streams is extremely important to me,” Governor Ritter said. “It’s also vital to our environment and our economy. This new law will strengthen Colorado’s 35-year-old Instream Flow Program and ensure that water rights leased or loaned to the Colorado Water Conservation Board for environmental purposes will not be weakened, lost, or considered abandoned.”
Colorado Water Trust Board member Ruth Wright is honored, along with her husband Ken Wright, by the Colorado Foundation for Water Education. In her storied career as an attorney and Colorado lawmaker, Ruth Wright has exemplified law as a community service. We are pleased that she and Ken have been recognized for their efforts. To see the announcement, click on the following link:
CFWE Ruth Wright Announcement