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<br />Sun., March I, 1992
<br />
<br />Rocky Mountain News
<br />
<br />'" ' . .,.. ' :' . ',' ',- WESTERN I~SJJ~~ '" . :'~'."<C~MI?:,
<br />
<br />WESTERN WATER
<br />
<br />Conservation seen as key to resource
<br />
<br />I Days of big dams,
<br />other projects over,
<br />candidates proclaim
<br />
<br />~, John Brinkley
<br />Nr~'1 Wa.t1I1'''Kf'''>ln",rta",
<br />
<br />WASHINGTON - There m:'ly be
<br />some common ground on the
<br />Issue of w:'lter.
<br />Most of the candid:'ltes a~ree
<br />Ihat con~{'rvation is the answer to
<br />Ihe West's diminishin~ water re-
<br />sources - not Two Fork.. dam.
<br />r \.pt> development.
<br />"Our fir..1 line of attack must be
<br />IIHorl'aSI'O ('onse'rvalion eHorls,"
<br />'\rkansas Gov. Bill Clinton sairl.
<br />'"Wllllp 11 is n'naiJlly illl(>')llant
<br />'"r 1l~ III nlllllOue to took for new
<br />'''lIrn's"fwalf'lllllheWesl.lhal
<br />'II<' \\"1111141 11(> a rdall\'('lvsfl"tl.
<br />:' 'Ill s"[urinn if WI' "'l[llll1W' In
<br />1"I>I~'h- oUI Willl't SUllpl}' without
<br />1",' \ 1I1l1l1ll (nnsf'rvilltnl1 I'ffnt!s_"
<br />FOrlllt'T MiI->SMhu"t,lts ~4'tl.
<br />1',1111 T"fll1.1Z,1s sUj;(fo(f'slC',j Itlt' u,,-r 01
<br />w;III'r-sa\'inR ,levin's, SIKh ;'1": SIl-
<br />pl.t-,'Hiol'lll Irri,lo:iltion ('(Pllplli' 111,
<br />,til(l IJ('IIN JnilintellillKe "f plpt'S
<br />,\f111 I1Ifr,lslrut'!utf' as lhl' besl
<br />srtilll'lo!lt'~_
<br />"It i~ a (;If bellel ltl\'cstl11l'nl
<br />! h,1I1 Df)urin~ bIllions of laxpayt't
<br />doll,us into IlRRrf'ssivl" W,llt"r-~llp-
<br />1,ly dl'vdopmellt:' he said.
<br />"T!w days of the big dam <lnd
<br />waler projects are gone," said
<br />DellJocratic Sen. Tom Harkin of
<br />Iowa.
<br />"Some new reservoirs, canals
<br />or clam~ may be justified, but much
<br />of our water prohlem!l (':'In be
<br />
<br />
<br />A farmer near Calhan adjusts a windmill, Most of the candidates
<br />emphasize frugality rather than water-project development.
<br />
<br />snlvcd through cOr1"crvalinn and mort" t"fficient use of exisling W:'l-
<br />
<br />tt"rresources,"
<br />For examplt", ht" s,lid, .f filrmers
<br />used water 10% mort" f'fficienlly
<br />than they do now, Ihe flow of
<br />water to Denver and other urban'
<br />are-as would doublt' wit hout anoth-
<br />er dam being built.
<br />Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey also
<br />slressed the importance of conser4
<br />vation over development.
<br />Former Cahforni,l Gov. Jerry
<br />Brown suggested that Illakill~ wa.
<br />ter mote expensivt, would encour-
<br />age westernf'rs 10 USI' 11 more
<br />frugally.
<br />
<br />"We're In an :...:c of Cfll1Serva.
<br />llon, Wf"re in an all:C of ufiinlf
<br />r('sourel'S wis('ly. ,1OfI nflf'ntirnt's
<br />walf'r is undl'rprio'o, so 1I1f'1t.'f"rl'
<br />ll'swaslt'o likt't'Ilf'r)o:}' IS w:tstt'd,"
<br />IIrownc:aid.
<br />
<br />I'resi,I"111 IIthh d,', 11111',1 In
<br />"jll1e do.....n nu 1'.1!if'! ,Id. ..,'~
<br />W<tlN iSSlJI', c:.lpl1~ "111\- tlldl '''1
<br />f1l1xofstrah';:W!oI'IIH'dt',I"
<br />CO!' r.1I1dld,lll' 1',llth'k Buchan-
<br />0111 Ikdmr',j 10 ~'I1"'WI'r Iii,' S.ws'
<br />qlw"tilJns
<br />The randldilh's I'Mt v.ay~ on Ih('
<br />ISSU('- of lhe feOt'r~ll ,C.lwrnment's
<br />Ruarant(>('inj;( strf'illl1 110ws in WII-
<br />deUH'ssart><Is_
<br />Blish Olnd }I;lTkin ....114J thl.' rases
<br />,hould be mediated individually.
<br />Tsongas and Clinlon favor
<br />slrc.am flow plolt'dllllJ;)e; an inle-
<br />,o;:rOl! part f)f any WIldt'fut'ss desig-
<br />nation.
<br />Kerrey leans toward denying a
<br />federal reseT\'e water righl for
<br />new wilderness areas, saying Ihe
<br />U.S. government "should not try
<br />to override- state procedures (or
<br />:.dministf'ring water riRhlS."
<br />
<br />Co:)
<br />
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