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<br />JULY -l977
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<br />A REPORT ON PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
<br />DENVER REGIONAL COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
<br />
<br />Foothills Policy Statement Adopted
<br />
<br />The following position statement on the Foot-
<br />hills water treatment facility was adopted
<br />unanimously by the Council of Governments on
<br />June 15, 1977,
<br />
<br />THE COUNCIL, BELIEVES that the first 125
<br />million gallons per day (MGD) Foothills treatment
<br />facilities are needed now I and that construction
<br />should begin immediately, The adoption of resolu-
<br />tions supporting the immediate construction of the
<br />Foothills facilities by fourteen local governments,
<br />representing nearly two.thirds of the population of
<br />the Denver area, indicates the strong desire for, and
<br />broad understanding of, the need for the additional
<br />water supply,
<br />THE COUNCIL BELIEVES that creative innova,
<br />tion by the Colorado Congressional delegation and
<br />federal agencies could bring about an immediate
<br />start of the Foothills facilities,
<br />THE COUNCIL BELIEVES that the purpose of
<br />the National Environmental Policy Act is to iden.
<br />tify ways to mitigate adverse environmental
<br />impacts, and properly so, but that NEP A was not
<br />intended to be used to arbitrarily stop projects
<br />needed to serve human needs, The Foothills NEP A
<br />experience is a bad precedent of what intervention
<br />by federal agencies, simply because a small amount
<br />of federal property (38,1 acres) is involved, can
<br />mean to local water projects anywhere in Colorado,
<br />THE COUNCIL BELIEVES that lawn irrigation
<br />practices could and should be changed, where pos.
<br />sible, to conserve water, Ways to reduce the use of
<br />water on a sustained basis should be adopted as a
<br />way of life by all Denver area citizens, while not
<br />drastically affecting the quality of life of the
<br />citizens of the region, Along with Denver area resi.
<br />dents, all other water users throughout the State of
<br />Colorado should conserve water, particularly the
<br />agriculture industry, which currently uses about
<br />97% of the State's available water,
<br />THE COUNCIL BELIEVES that the water used
<br />for all purposes in the Denver area, which will
<br />
<br />amount to well under 5% of Colorado's available
<br />water as of the year 2000, is a very small amount
<br />when it is considered that this water will serve well
<br />over one,half of the State's population, The use of
<br />only 19% of our annual Denver area water supply
<br />for residential irrigation purposes plus some for
<br />public area irrigation is reasonable, even though use
<br />of this water is concentrated over a relatively short
<br />warm weather period,
<br />THE COUNCIL BEL1EVES the environment
<br />and quality of life in the metropolitan Denver area
<br />is worth preserving, and that the necessary water to
<br />
<br />SOUTH PLATTE CANYON
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