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<br />.. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />1107 <br /> <br />Proposed Colorado 64 Principles .. Draft <br />January 22, 2003 <br />Page 3 of7 <br /> <br />We believe the vast "center" of Colorado's economic and political interests could support <br />the Colorado 64 principles. Further, we believe the changes we offer remove some <br />ambiguity in the Colorado 58 principles. <br /> <br />In summary, these changes: <br /> <br />1. Provide that exploration and analysis of a full range of water resources available, <br />including more efficient use of existing local resources, demand management, and <br />consideration of moving existing supplies within the state, all happen <br />concurrently. We believe that to require exhaustion of one set of possibilities <br />before exploration and action on other alternatives is not in the interest of the <br />citizens of Colorado. <br /> <br />2. Provide that leasing and other temporary arrangements for transfer of water <br />supplies from agricultural to municipal and industrial use be strongly considered <br />by those seeking additional municipal and industrial supply. However, as the <br />Colorado 58 principles recognize, farmers, ranchers, and other owners of water <br />rights must continue to be permitted to sell or lease those rights if they wish to do <br /> <br />so. <br /> <br />3. Metro area water users should, in their efforts to acquire or lease additional water, <br />consider environmental and recreational impacts of streamflow changes that will <br />result. However, these benefits are not regarded as equal to beneficial <br />consumptive uses under current Colorado law, and therefore should not generally <br />be "balanced" in empirical terms. <br /> <br />4. Provides that the full range of impacts of new water projects should be evaluated. <br />Direct adverse impacts should be reasonably mitigated, as has been the case in <br />several recent projects (e.g., Wolford Mountain Reservoir.) <br />