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<br />~t jult gukt ~rjhunt.
<br />
<br />State/Local
<br />
<br />ThurM'lay .'lurnil1~-I)f'("f'mht"r
<br />S~('li(Jn n
<br />
<br />1.1.1989
<br />Pagl~ I
<br />
<br />New Plan to Lease Utah Water Revives Old Fears
<br />
<br />Rv Jim Wool(
<br />Trlbunfl' Stalf Writer
<br />Ulahn~ ha\'p lon2 IU5-pP('1l"d thai
<br />Calilornian!' ,,'ould try sortlt"day 10
<br />1o:Iral tbeir waler in IbeColorado Rlv-
<br />...
<br />Thil rear. ..'hl('h i~ abared by
<br />Ulah's Qt>lghbors. hM uodermined
<br />\-artOUS proposals {or the atJtes iD
<br />tbe: upper Colorado Rher Basio -
<br />Utah'- W)'O"m1rlJC. Colorado and New
<br />M~k'o - to temporlrlly lease their
<br />surplus .ater to the rapidly growing
<br />~llln In the lo.....tr.basfn stales of Cal.
<br />Ifornia. N(I\"ada and Arizona.
<br />'I'M upper-balin states are .frald
<br />thai ~ San Diego. Phoenix and
<br />Los Anrel" If'f ('Gntrol ort~w.ter.
<br />tbt111 reI~ to ,Ive It bad:.
<br />A new plall to seU 1Ul'P1us water to
<br />ett:Itoalets in the lQllfet baIbt iI. tak~
<br />io&: shipe and irs retiDdUne Mlny of
<br />lbeold {elln. But uDUke put propos.
<br />alS.this lalt'$t idea "" th~ support of
<br />50IIle of Ihe West's most respected
<br />political leaders. including (ormt'r
<br />U'-h GoY. Sc-ott M. Mathe8On, (or.
<br />
<br />Many Worry California Won't Give It Back
<br />
<br />mer Wyoming Gov. I-:d Ilers("hlrr
<br />and Cor'Q'l(.... Arizona Gov. flrure Bab.
<br />bUt
<br />"This deserves an examination,"
<br />said. GGv. Matheson. "1\ will take
<br />lime. careful education and evalua_
<br />tion,"
<br />The new plan is being promoted by
<br />the Resou..ee Conservation Group
<br />CRce" I Colorado partnership tlial
<br />hopes to earn I profll by aequlri"n,J a
<br />laref' pool or waler In the upper Col.
<br />orldo River Baliln ud leasing it _to
<br />ruatomers In Ihe lowe...basb1 ILatell,
<br />The- Carmer governors have. been
<br />hired by ReG to belp prepare and .
<br />\\in politieal support COt the ptOP"s_
<br />,I.
<br />Roland Robbon. director of the
<br />U.S. Bu..eau of Reclarnallon's UPPf'r
<br />Colorado Region. laid he'" Inten:s\-
<br />ed in this new plan, "We've reached
<br />
<br />altate wer~ w(" nt'('d 10 takt" a H'rU'Il~
<br />look at bt.,tter ways Iii uliln.(" Ilur
<br />water," hl' said.
<br />D. Larry Anderson, diredor of the
<br />Utah DiVision oC Water Resouret's,
<br />said he and Ihe representativt>:-; of
<br />other uPPl'r-basln states are waitmg
<br />to see a written proposal from KeG
<br />before taking a position on Ihe I'hll1.
<br />"We're keepini:anQI~n mind.'. hI'
<br />said.
<br />Gerald R, Zimmerman, execu!iv("
<br />dlrectflr o{ the UPpet' Colorado 1\IV'
<br />er Comml:-;sloll, /loted that WeslNII
<br />water officials "have b<!en. at bl''''t.
<br />s'ltepUcal or the concept of marketing
<br />upper.bollsin walt'r to the lower-basin
<br />entiUe.\." Ilowcvt:r, he profillSt'J 10
<br />"reserve judgment" on this propOl>'
<br />,I.
<br />The plan was fln,.1 disrus5('d pll))-
<br />lid)' Nov, III during a meeting of the
<br />
<br />Upper {'olorado Rh.l'r Commission's
<br />k~:\1 and en&ineerln~ commlttt'l" in
<br />Albu4Uf'rquc_ Much of the back.
<br />ground information in this story
<br />came from a transcript of the pre.
<br />s('lIlation al that meeting
<br />ReG IS e:<peeted to prl's<!nt a de.
<br />tailt'd written proposal to the eom.
<br />mis.~ion in January.
<br />K"/I1 A, Borrhard, \.tc~' president
<br />of I{CG. said a.t the No\'elllber m~t.
<br />ing that his company is interested in
<br />acquiring two l~~ of water. f'\rst \s
<br />unus("d water in upper.basin reser-
<br />voin. for example, former Gov.
<br />Hen.chler said as- mud\ as W,OOQ-
<br />acre-feet of surplus water is avail.
<br />.301(' in Wyomlng'li Fontanelle Reser.
<br />voir, This Il'. eoough 10 'ul)P\Y the an,
<br />lIual nl'eds of some 200,000 to
<br />250.000 people,
<br />The :;erond type of water loughl
<br />by nea hi that being u$(,'<I to Irrigate
<br />
<br />2H Thf' Salt Lakt Trlhlln:~..!hur5dRY. ~rf'mh~!.14. 19~~
<br />
<br />low-valu(> rrop" in th(' uppt'r bbm
<br />Mr Borrhard sllid HCl; Jlr(>pll.~I';"
<br />to enter i.I\lo W:.t\'f "\lrth:J.~t' (.011'
<br />tracts with a largt> numher or rane-h.
<br />ers, but only lake an individu::l1
<br />rancher's watl:f {'v'<!ry thud year. By
<br />dryln~ UP a third of thl' r.:!l1chl'rs ;111.
<br />nuall\', rteG officials lH:hc\.(' thl'}'
<br />ran p'rovide a dependable water sup.
<br />ply to the lower.basin customl.'rs
<br />without deslroying the a~ri("1lllural
<br />base of !,he communitie:> in "'.rllch
<br />they are purchasing water.
<br />Wililt.. dr~'iJ\g up ont...thlrd of lhr
<br />rane-Ilc" eal'l1 year would dt.t'H>;I.~('
<br />agriculltrral produrtion. Mr. _ !.lor.
<br />chard said it would have "no slgmfi-
<br />eant impaer' on rural commuOltit,s.
<br />Thill's ht'rau..e .the rlll1rht>r stoJling
<br />his water "may potentially make
<br />more money in the year that the
<br />water is taken than he would make m
<br />the yea~. that it isn.t 'ahn, So, his
<br />aClu,11 money avall;lhll' In th(' lor<'ll
<br />community would b(' grt"a1rr under
<br />this Ilian." he said,
<br />ReG offl('IHls offN an inrrnll\.('
<br />S('(' 8.2. e"lumn I
<br />
<br />Plan to Lease Water Revives Old Fears
<br />
<br />CnntlnuMl FM'lm 8-1
<br />for lh(' IIp\1f'r.buin stat('&,loo. They
<br />pledge 10 plare ,m unJpeeifitd per-
<br />centage 01 their proCill; anto an el.
<br />rrow attount ror the constructJon o(
<br />slate wat~ df'velopmenl prnjt>Ct"
<br />Rf:G o((kials. de<:'Uned to disNM.
<br />the quantity of water they planned to
<br />offer to 10wer.bUia .~te& or the
<br />prIce of Ulat walCf, They aald. how.
<br />I:Vl"r, thlll Ih('yexPff"led to mak(' 11
<br />'.r('Mnnable mum on investment"
<br />from th~ transacUOQ..
<br />Mr. Bol't'hard stres&ed several
<br />timet during the meeting that Ihe
<br />leNd wowd be: "temporary'- and the
<br />Upper.buih states- could get their
<br />water bad~ .tieD ther needed It,
<br />"We-re; nt.en!lJ tal\lnr. .~t prn-
<br />riding a temporary IOlutiob to the
<br />....ater-supply needs In tbe lo~r ba.
<br />5in that would eaable them to devel~
<br />
<br />Oil. nlhllr long.term supplk!l," he
<br />l:lald
<br />Gov. M.3theson told ~ Tribu~
<br />Ihat water.poor dUes &uth as San
<br />Diego and Las Vegas could rely on
<br />tht- Up!X'r ba:>fn's surplus water
<br />whHt they develop lheir owo
<br />groundwatN re5(!(volrs and convert
<br />agrtcllllural waler to drinking water.
<br />He agr~ that the "m.3ln argu.
<br />ml"nt" againlt the ReG rrofl(lsal,
<br />ilkI.' prcvlous water.marketing pro.
<br />posalr.. 1fIa <<lneern \bat lower.balin
<br />states wlll l"Ome to reI)' on the Upper
<br />b.,,,in's surplus and rl'(use to relin_
<br />qulf>h it wht'!n lhe \~RSl;) ('xpiN!$.
<br />"There's no way you can take thlt
<br />C"Oncern out of people's minds," aaid
<br />GM, Mathf:l>tm.
<br />However, he said numerous laws
<br />prot('("t the upper hllsln's rights to
<br />Colorado River water. In ;lddJUon.
<br />
<br />1h~ lower-bAsin ('Udomers would
<br />dt.'..arly a("knowledge in \heir lea&eh.
<br />that the waler to be deU\'e~ by
<br />RCG belongl to the -upf'('l".buln
<br />stat~ and .-ilI be rtturned to them
<br />when the t'OtdracttJ,.pir<<.
<br />'"This is a dJlferenl .....ay to opt-rate.
<br />I doo't deny thaL But It's something
<br />lhatO'.1ghl to ~ looked at," saId Gov.
<br />Mllth~.
<br />GO\.. MaU~l!SOn'$ adroinil>lratlon
<br />w~ 5\ron.g\y opposed to.a 1984 pro-
<br />posal by \he Galloway Group to mar-
<br />k('t upper-buln water to lo~r-bastn
<br />c:u~tomen, arguing it IJkf'ly wouldzft
<br />have worked and could have disrupt.
<br />ed the agreemcD.U that divided -up
<br />tb(" w.lu In lhe Colo....do River.
<br />the (ormer governor &aId the RCG
<br />plan is substanti.lly difft!'renl (rom
<br />lbe old GaUoway proposal.
<br />
<br />
<br />Scott r.J, Matheson
<br />Idea Des<,(Ves Examination
<br />
<br />.
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