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<br />ThE DENVER POST <br /> <br />4 Colorado projects in landmark water act <br /> <br />By Gary Schmitz <br />O"n.l:' PO~IWdSnln\lIOnBur.iU <br />PH'sldem Heagan this wee" IS <br />e).l,l.:cted \0 sign the ilrsl nalion. <br />....Ide .....al~r projects legislation In <br />16ycilrs <br />The landmark measure breaks <br />an Impasse over how federal, state <br />and local governments ""ill dmde <br />up the costs 01 nood conlrol and <br />other wlllcr systems '01'" years 10 <br />come. <br />The Water Resources De\'clop- <br />m~nl Act of 19b6 i:luthonzl::s some <br />.16 billion worth o( future harbor <br /> <br />and shoreune ImprO\'cments, flood <br />cOlllrol i:lnd related canSlruCllan <br />acro!;.s the rounlry - including <br />lour long.delayed projects U1 Colo- <br />rado. <br />Il also establishes cost.shanng <br />formulas lor aU projects 10 be bUllt <br />by the Army Corvs of Engineers, <br />the agency thai builds and oper- <br />ales federal walerway and flood <br />control systems. <br />Most maSSlye dams and irriga- <br />tIOn systems of the tntt-nor West <br />are ov~rseen by th~ Bureau of <br />Rcdiimalion iind ar~ nol rncluded <br /> <br />m Ihe acl Reagan Is to sign. <br />However, the acl's complex en. <br />lena lor asslgrung costs to fe<leriil <br />and local sponsors Is likely 10 set a <br />precedent lor those tradltional <br />Western water projects as .....1.'1.1. II <br />also IS expected to bolster Ihe <br />Reagan ad.muusttalion's goal of 111. <br />creasl11g non.lederallwuling lor all <br />such work. <br />~ I n general, the act provides that <br />local beneflcianes of noocl control <br />projects will have to pil)' a miN. <br />mum 01 25 percent and a maxi. <br />mum of 50 percent of a lederiil <br /> <br />proJect's lotal pnce tag. <br />CuI. S'cv~n G Wbt, commander <br />0' thl: cOfll" dl,.trlct oHlct' in Oma. <br />ha, nut~d WetJnesdiiy thal Con. <br />gress sllll mllSt make- a speCifiC ap- <br />(lropn<iuun lur ('ach proJt'cl. <br />Wesl praised th~ authOrization <br />meal>ure as "3 new and realistic <br />charter" for a continued federal <br />program of .....aler project con. <br />structiUn dunng a time of "fiscal <br />aUslerlly" <br />In Colorado, the acl authorizes a <br />comprehenSJve study or the deple- <br />lion of Ihe Ogallal&. Aqwler, a ma- <br /> <br />3-FORT MORGAN, COLO. TIMES, WEONESOAf, NOVEMBER 5, 1986 <br /> <br />jor underground water system 1m. <br />portant to eight mountaJn and high <br />plains states. <br />Under current plans, $13 mlLlJon <br />Will be spent annually from 1987 <br />through 1991 Lo develop water con. <br />servatlon measures deSIgned to re- <br />plenish the below. ground reser. <br />voir. SLates and other local <br />sponsors would contnbute 25 per- <br />cenl or the cost of the research and <br />conservation program. <br />The Westerly Creek nood con. <br />trol project III east Denver .....ould <br />receive S10.8 million. The Soulh <br /> <br />Platte Urban Flood Conlrol and <br />DraInage DIstriCt ....:ould pay S27 <br />nullion of the cosl 01 Improving tht: <br />channel of Westerly Creek. WIth <br />the federal go\'ernment paymg lhe <br />rtmal11der. <br />The S8 6 mlLlJon Fountalfi Creek <br />nood control project near Pueblo <br />would receive $,6.3 m1.l.lJon in feder- <br />al funding. Another prOVISion <br />would aller the operation of Chat- <br />field Lake near Dcn\'er Lo pronde <br />a greater emphaSIS on conserva- <br />Lion and sales of water Lo Industry <br />and cities. <br /> <br />Narrows Contracts Between 2 Districts, Bureau Unresolved <br /> <br />CoSI :,h;'(Ing ..no resolulIon of en <br />ddngf::red spl-cics concerns appear to be <br />the lup p(loritle~ for the U.S. Bureau of <br />Hecl..mallOll on the Narrow:. Resoer. <br />\'olr. bUl contracts between the bureau <br />and '.....0 .... ..ler districts Cuntlnue to be <br />unr~ulv"l.l. <br />l'uoda) al a meeting of directors of <br />one uf those agencies, the Lo..'er South <br />Pliil!.. Waler Con:.ervanc)' Dlstrlcl m <br /> <br />......, <br />~ <br />0) <br />N <br /> <br />Sterling, bureau R~glOnal Direclor <br />Billy Marlm discussed the Niirrows <br />withdlrcctors. <br />The Times nas received reporlS that <br />sLiited resolve of dlreclors to pursue <br />t976 contracts willi the bureau is less <br />IhanunanlmUUS. <br />l:iureau officials indicathl 10 Lower <br />Soulh PlaUe and Central Water Con. <br />servancy Dlstnct offiCials in the filII of <br /> <br />19115 thatlhose contracts would nol be <br />acceptable to the bureau, a poSition <br />MartlnreJteratedTuesdil.Y. <br />Central has had its conlrac! ratified <br />in court; the Lower Soulh Platte, which <br />would receive the bulk of Narrows <br />water,hil.snol <br />An)' deciSIOn on whether to go to court <br />for such ratification WIll probably await <br />a Jan. 5 deadline Ule board has <br /> <br />established for VOlt!ntial Narrows <br />wah:r users 10 rllllfy subconlracts, <br />Gar)' Fnchiiuf, sLo{'retary.manragt'r of <br />lh~ Lower South Plllll" Di~'lnC't. sdid. <br />If th(:re lire enuugh subcontracts 10 <br />meet the 1!I76 terms. the deciSIOn on <br />....heth"r tu go to cuurt for rallllCaUOn <br />\IIuukl [hell lac~ (h~ board, Fnehau[ <br />added. <br />He stated thai he has about 100 such <br />subcontracts with about ~ more to go <br />However. he add~d. "We.re on lhe <br />ihortsideondcre.l~eL <br />About 60,000 acre-feel net"d 10 be <br />l.'ommllled;aboul28,lJOOare. <br />Slgmng North Sterling. he noted. <br />would add about 27,000 acre-f~et to !h~ <br />totalcommllted. <br />"I (hmk Jan. 5 is the time when <br />alternatives, if any, would be <br />dISCUS~ed. and I .....ouldn'l want to <br />speculate," Fnehauf said of lhe con. <br />IracL'ltuation. <br />"I guess the bottom line is the bt'st <br />deal wecilncut,"heobst'rved <br />N..gotliltions on possible new water <br />contracts between officials of the <br />bureau and lhe t~'o dlstricls got un- <br />der.....a)' mOctober, 198:', bul therehavt' <br />t:l-en nO~P:!iSIOnS since lasl spring. <br />Those session:, may be on !.he back <br />burner .....hile the bureau concentrates <br />on the resolution of the endangered <br />species situation and on cosl-sharing <br />arrangements. Friehaufmdlcaled. <br />The bureau, ttlarlln said, IS now <br />sellrchlflg for agreements on habltill <br />r"qulrements and management <br />proposals acceptable 10 those invoh'ed. <br />Orricials of Colorado, Nebraska, <br />W)'ommg, federal agent:i~s ilmJ ~n. <br />VlrOllmenlal j;l,roups arc m\oh'cd lfl a <br /> <br /> <br />~p..1t~ <br />CO\.ORP-~~O~ '30r-~O <br />~'stR"r- <br />CO,, , <br /> <br />nver basin stud)' <br />Martin pomled to anolher priority for <br />lhe bureau - geltmg Ih~ :!.lal(' or local <br />go...ernments or olher enlillt's such as <br />municipahties and industries to share <br />up-front costs. <br />The prOject geared for an area <br />norlh.....est of F'OrL Morgan would C05I <br />$4Ofi million in OClober, 1986, dollar <br />figures. Martin indica Led. <br />The 1.2 million acre.foot total <br />capacity would produce an annual }'Ield <br />of about 9S,00CJ 10 100,000 acre-feet of <br />,.ne....... water Iwaler ucluding ex is ling <br />fights of such enlities as the Weldon <br />Ditch that would be acquired for <br />Narrows). according to figures <br />discussed Tuesda.... <br />Concerning sta.te.level cosl sharing <br />on .....ater projects. Friehauf said that <br />state legislators .....ould need specifics <br />on locatIOns of projects, dollar figures, <br />volume of WOller and needs 10 be sup- <br />plied. <br />In another matter Warren "Doc.' <br />Watrous of iJrush discussed wl1h <br />dIrectors a Colorado Associalion of <br />Commerce and Industry blueprint <br />commltlee. He is on the .....aler sub. <br />committee for lhe blue-print project, <br />whIch is to gi...e legislators an Idea of <br />what people in CACI would tikI.' 10 st'e <br />on the General Asscmbly's agcnd3 <br />Watrous indicaled thaI the walfr <br />subcommiuee's initial material <br />focused on the Colorado Hivt'r l:iasin, <br />IInd l...o.....erSOuthPJalleoFflclillsJ'13ntu <br />get him matenal on the propost' South <br />Platte River basm sludy 8nd oth~r <br />mformation to mclud~ m the sub. <br />comml\tet' report <br />SIeve Tre<ld.....i1y. bO<lrd pre:.idt'nt, <br />reportcd on a South Pia ILl' Wdter User:. <br />Coalition ml'~lmG hdel n.colnlly in <br />Sterlingat.....hlchilcombm8tionsc......ge <br />lrcalm~nl plant and rccharg~ <br />augmentation proJ('ct the Cll}' of <br />Sterhnghas.....aspresl.[I1ed. <br />The group IS to ml'ellll Loveland Nov <br />2; .....lth Ihe river basm managemenl <br />study to be the tOpiC. <br />Also commg up I!< II fall ......:lter \J5~r,. <br />m\'('tmg co'''von-.orl;'(\ by th\. co,;J!lllon <br />amI nil' l\"orll"'rn (",;lor,,,I.. \\""1"1' <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />ConservancY Dislflct No~' 18 at 11'30 <br />a.m. al thc.do.....nto.....n Holiday Inn'ln <br />Greele)". <br />Tuesday II .....as reporled that Nor. ,I,' <br />therndell\'eredal>.lut270000acre-ft'el <br />approxlmatel)" lJo.OOOof it non-chari:,t': <br />during thepasllrrigationseason. <br />River commISSIoners. repvrts <br />showed a flow of about !I8,OOO acre-feel <br />past the Kersey gauge and 26,000 at the <br />SLiile line m October with Kersey <br />r(:glsterlng aboul 1,340 cubiC feet per <br />second Tutsdav and the stalehneilMut <br />3,;odsFrida)'.' <br />ApprOXImate reservoir levels <br />reponed Tuesday .....ere: Empire li,8:l8 <br />acre-feet. Riverside 17.41D, JacksOR <br />H,71lO. Bijou No.2 3.900, Prewitt 19.~OO, <br />North ,sterhng 29.430 and Julesburg <br />17.190 <br />The board also approved $2,B9~ for a <br />cop)'lng machine, i1.....arding the con. <br />tract t" Journal Olflct' Supply of <br />Sterlin&oasedfollprlceandfe8tures <br /> <br />! <br /> <br />,. <br /> <br />j <br />! <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />! <br /> <br />_---", I <br />