Udall, Bennet push amendment to safeguard NoCo water

U.S. Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet introduced an amendment Wednesday that would authorize as much as $180 million in Emergency Watershed Protection funding for states affected by disasters, including for Colorado wildfires.

The disaster-relief legislation that would help Larimer, Weld, El Paso and Teller counties take steps to protect drinking water threatened during last year’s wildfires.

The amendment follows a decision by House lawmakers not to include Emergency Watershed Protection funds for Colorado in the Hurricane Sandy disaster-relief bill.

The Senate bill is an emergency appropriations bill for national disasters, not just Hurricane Sandy, and is the best chance to…