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<br />
<br />In 1986.'AWDI filed its
<br />application in warercoun in
<br />A1amooa, SO miles SOlUh of lbe
<br />Baea ranch, for 200,000 acre.leet of
<br />W8Iec.An llCle-fool is an acre of Walet a
<br />,fOOl deep, aboulthe amount of Water a
<br />suburban family offourwol/Jd useina
<br />year. Th oblain the Wllte1'. AWDI would
<br />drill 100 wells 2,500 fee! de'ep.
<br />An engineering Study AWDI
<br />financed argucd Ihatrnore than two'
<br />billiOll Bcre-feet of-water are $Iored in
<br />VlllIey ranchers Pfepariog CO ship ~ to DIal'ket thc upper 6,000 feel of sediment in lhe
<br />colleagues; "We canlle1 these assets aia valley. Thewater-bcaring materials,
<br />good price and there is also a plus fllClOf which in places are scpamted by laym
<br />011 the Wa!el. We don', quite know what of blue clay,.run as deep as 30,000 feet
<br />itls,bWltlooksinteresling," 811he"cetllerofthevalley, .
<br />The' investors formed a new Most'of Ihe. waw in Ihe sediments
<br />Company called .,illl Colorado has-comefromthecstimalCdannuall.5
<br />Cornoralion whip.~ is I e Darc I million .8cte.feet of rUDolf from the
<br />@llpany of AWDI ann ~lf1ln ~~g . sWTO\Inding rnounlains. A good JlOI'lion
<br />the "'oN'on....". nnl"'nl~ the water of iJiilIrunoff seeps into the ground and
<br />~zancb. contributes 10 the valley's high water
<br />Suong had been givCJl a quick tabl!). 'ThecnginccringreportaisOargued
<br />lesson in the valley's water by the lhatthe'estimatcd'l20millionacre-feet
<br />Bureau of ReClamation, which OfwaterbcnealhlheBaca)lfOj)Cnycou!d
<br />Condemned 38,000 acres in Ihe "polentially ... be developed as non_
<br />SGIllhWCSICOlnerollheranchforwhat' u:ibul8ry&round~"._.
<br />has lumed into _-8 $94-million water i nUl! last phrase has become a.key;;
<br />salVIICptOjecLCalJedlheCJosedBasin. legal issue in water Courl. Under'
<br />project, il is designed 10 pump about. Colorado law, non-1ribul8ry_ ground'
<br />JOO.ooo acre-feet of water a year from water is water "whose wilhdrawal will
<br />more than 150 shallow wells in Ihe IlOtdepletelhesurfllCestn:am-wilhin 100:"
<br />soullleastem PIn oflhe Yliley and f1usl1 . yearsofpumpins." .""-"__".-;.,,,,,.,.,,, _
<br />itintotbeRioGrande. ,~,~,J;4.-,,-_, -.Themain,lIwfacestrcaminQUCSllll.'t
<br />. 'The headwatei-s of the Rio GBllde in lheWillerrnhe Rio mIDldIr.ff1he
<br />lfcin lhe San Juans on IhewCSlslopeol. counfiilestJiilhe"'WalirAwD1:w8nts1S'~
<br />the va1ley. The water pumped inoo the nOti~tri6iiiity:1heilAWDTwiii1ie"abJe,to',
<br />river from lhe Closed Basin project will. pump without regard to the rights of _ .
<br />replace water liken OUI of the river senior water USCJ'8, since those users _
<br />upsucam by several hundred Valley depend on surface water or shallow ,:_
<br />farmers for irTigatiOD. allowing those 8I"OWKl W3leL _ '''''., ,--..<
<br />fllnnCJs 10 stay in business. The company ltIg\leS that ilS water
<br />The federal and Colorado wilhdmwals from ~ WC1Is will havea
<br />governments bave ConUactual limited effecl on other valley water _
<br />oblig1!'tlons 10 ensure New Mexico, users, wbo, for the mOSt part,- are
<br />'JbxasandMexicomc:eivclheirallollCd pumpingfromwcl1s1cssthanlOOfeel
<br />share of the Rio Grande's now. The deep. .'....
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />San Luis Val/(ry..........
<br />(Co",u,uedfrorn~10)
<br />
<br />Strong says he and HanllChad Joog
<br />had an interest in spiritual groups lIIld
<br />easlelnandnalivClndian~ligions.'Ibey
<br />and Ihe company decided lOeIlCOlaBge
<br />development by rnakini land and BOlIlC
<br />money avallable 10 religious and
<br />$pirilllalgroups.
<br />"We gOI Lindesfamc lO move. We
<br />gave .Ihem, land-and "moncy.-'l'hc-
<br />company gave both money and land to
<br />lite Aspen Institute. We havcalsohcJped .
<br />in varying W4yS a-number of 0_. The
<br />Carmeliles. Sri Aurobindo. And thea,
<br />apanfrom theland,lhercaresome-
<br />people who came and established
<br />lbemseJVC5bcre. Thenbclans. There is
<br />Do master plan., We don't have what I
<br />calIlIie~ice'llersyndrornewhero'"
<br />you have a sWt for cverybody and look
<br />forPOOPlelOfiUlhoscsJolS."
<br />The Baea Grande deveJopmeut is
<br />now c!otled with Navajo-style bogans,
<br />Zen and yoga retteats and Catholic
<br />Cannalile hennilBges. The IIrlUegy has
<br />bcenarnodest.1ow.keySlJCCeSs.PeopJe
<br />1inkedtolbosogroupshavebougbtJOIS
<br />and built aboul150 homes in tbe
<br />developmenl, although many n:main
<br />.......~-
<br />1blsishoadysmffforlhefarmfoIk'
<br />down the valley, The contrast bclwccll
<br />the Baca and thOresl afChe valley-is
<br />IDOSI risibJc in Ihe "What's Happening~-
<br />secIion otTIIe WUky CowW, JIIIbIJs:hed
<br />so mi1e.ISOIIthinAlamosa.
<br />Pot Ibe week d Sept. IS, Alamosa -
<br />.Illldccs included meelings of Alcoholics
<br />Anonymous, the Veterans of Foreign ,
<br />\\Ws.lIlcPresbytCrian AdullBible study..','
<br />group,thc Seventh Day Adventists and:;
<br />WcJghlWatcl1ets.
<br />Inlbatsamcwoel:, notices forBaca
<br />activitiesineludedan"Clvcningprogram
<br />on Earlb Rituals _ Full Moon
<br />Celebration," a lec~utO on Ihe
<br />"uansrormation of Ihe colis," and a
<br />"Personal Empowerment Retreat...
<br />
<br />burcausaYSIheWatuPlllllpedfromlhe
<br />wells would otherwise be lost 10
<br />evaporation andplanl transpimtion. As
<br />anadditionalbenefil.lbeagencysaystbe
<br />wells and pumping should lOwer the
<br />high water Illble in the area that now
<br />sWltains saltgrass,grcaseWOOdand other
<br />"uneconomiC"speciesOfplanlS.
<br />
<br />lOOwtlls
<br />
<br />ASStl.l'atogood.price
<br />1....0. 1980. Slmn", m/!lI'<l'M what
<br />was Jell of A'll with a Los
<br />Angeles.based oil company
<br />named Tosco. Several yea.~ 1ltWT, wnen--
<br />oiIJltiCeSbeiantoSIlde.Thsco'sbanke!s
<br />urged !be company 10 rid ilSC.il01 noo.
<br />011 lISSeIS. StrOng put llIgelher a group 01
<br />invClllOrS_Sall'll.l.....rr 'Ulli!..m
<br />RlltkeJ.shausandseve.rallllhers_and
<br />-~Jl:nllbeBacarane'n;ul..pu...I"t5C"
<br />~ 400.000 actesQr minerai and
<br />~. ;)Uong ana Ius "'~V"I.ICS
<br />boughl wbenlBllcltland prices were in a
<br />_...&.l~~~~ and Suong said he lold his Ceuter plYOt sprinkJer Dear Hooper, Colorado
<br />;y
<br />i"
<br />
<br />HIRb Co"""" News -NovemIJw 6; 1!J89.11
<br />
<br />Below loo feet lies a sO-calied
<br />"confllledaquifO'" lhaiiSIlCpltmled from
<br />the upper, or lInCOnfined, aquifer by
<br />layers of blue clay. SUong says his
<br />COmpany made an ofTer 10 the farmers 10
<br />conducl a join! Study 01 the Valley's
<br />hYdrology. But the farme.rs refuSC(! the
<br />ofTer, according 10 Slmng, and are not
<br />willing 10 negotiate with AWDI.
<br />The ColOrado Stale enldneer'&.alIice' .
<br />n'tthinkthe_valleY'Sh3drol~Y/;
<br />~esneallYlDtosuracewalCr:d.
<br />~On-tribularygroundwater.!;l'" n
<br />andevere,lIlesta . diSlrlctenginee.r, j.
<br />~O.ft:"~/JUcreate~ig
<br />.:uu. 1",",~leet1Sa
<br />ma'orvolurne, you.U change Ihe whole
<br />h Sle ....
<br />AmOllg iltepossl c ng WOuld
<br />be the drying Up of the shallow wells
<br />the bureau's Closed Basin project
<br />depends on.
<br />The impacts of the AWDI projecl
<br />would be lesS-hydrologically and
<br />politically - if the water were 10 be
<br />usedlocallY,Alletthe1986COurtfilillg,
<br />Strong began telling valley resit!elllS that
<br />lhecompany would irrigate 38,000 acres
<br />ollbe ranch property, grow barley,
<br />aUlact a brewery 10 the area and
<br />generally 'use the water for local
<br />economic development projects.
<br />
<br />Opposition WQ$ tOlfJI
<br />
<br />, DeSPitelhosepromises.
<br />. CVeIyone lined lip against
<br />. Ihe AWDI projecl: the
<br />en COUnties,muni .~ities-within,
<br />..1hL...vaIley. the Slateen.l!'inee.r. theFlS '
<br />..J!!!UVildlife .<lP.rvi,." and other SiBiearnt
<br />.l.ede.ral agencies. MOS(opponenlS sa
<br />thai allot _me water in the valley,lIas~
<br />,beenapproprlatedand thalanyfurthe.r-,
<br />pumping WOuld lower the water iable"'
<br />and,as a result, lIte.leve1 of the Rio
<br />Grande. .'
<br />AWDI reS~~D~. :Ih Iwo legal
<br />ariiiiiienlll.FirsI1IAl1'~'
<br />COmpaDy has inheriled waterriJl:hts'
<br />accorded under the Spanish JandgranC:-
<br />:W-/UCllsllller!lell... CojllJBlln warer llw.Z
<br />thatatJl:Ument~,AWDlwillwin
<br />seniorriglllSlOlhewa~ _____
<br />Falling that, thecompany is also
<br />advancing the claim lhat the.walet is
<br />non-lributary and that there is water
<br />aplelltyin tbe confined aquifer that can.
<br />i~onjJQge~2)
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