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<br />2836
<br />
<br />;'~:;~.. .
<br />~. am Will Never Be
<br />tijti1IIAI Narrows
<br />.", . (Continued from Page 1)
<br />concerned, I mention it only in
<br />, passing, because of the tremendous
<br />.loss that would occur to Fort Mor-
<br />gan. and Morgan County if this fer-
<br />,tile valley were inundated.
<br />'. I believe a reservoir at the Hard.
<br />~in site would bring semi-benefits to
<br />.~Morgan County, but to build it at
<br />:'th'e Narrows would do more dam-
<br />age to' the future of Fort Morgan
<br />~Rd Morgan County than good. The
<br />r!yarrows site is just too far down
<br />f'the"'river to benefit Morg~n Coun-
<br />, ty:. It is my understanding that the
<br />,~Iocal proponents of the Narrows
<br />'she say that any loss in the busi-
<br />!lriess from farm income and assess-
<br />~'.ed valuations of the Weldon Val-
<br />~I~y; would be more than offset by
<br />~t~~, . increased business for local
<br />r;' m.e'rchants during the construction
<br />~e.~iod and later from the people
<br />1who are expected to visit the Nar-
<br />rtows Reservoir in the summer for
<br />~tioating and water skiing. These
<br />':s'e'c'm very short-sighted and high.
<br />IJ~?~'qUestionable to me. Even if
<br />pa'itly true, which 1 doubt, the
<br />Ip,e,hod of benefit involved would be
<br />of'short duration and not {'ven
<br />I'do.lnparable to a plan for building
<br />a reservoir that would prove
<br />dermanent long-term benefits to
<br />the county and to the town. Why
<br />'s'hould Fait Morgan abandon its
<br />~igh reputation as a farming com-
<br />lriluiity and try to become a recrea-
<br />'.ion center? Is there any place in
<br />Eastern Colorado or Western Ne-
<br />iraska 'where a multiple purpose
<br />:eservoir has been built that it has
<br />ncreased the prosperity of the sur-
<br />ounding area or have homes or
<br />Iroperties' been built at the edge
<br />If such reservoir?
<br />To obtain authorization and ap-
<br />propriations from the Congress,
<br />a'ny project must demonstrate its
<br />'ability to repay the cost of water
<br />used from tbe reservoir. Such wa-
<br />rter must have a sound useful pur-
<br />pose. Recreation, while desirable,
<br />is always of secondary considera-
<br />tion. Recreational advantages at
<br />the Hardin site \I,.'ill be just as good
<br />and possibly better than at the
<br />Narrows, because of additional
<br />water that could be impounded in
<br />the Hardin site, The Congress will J
<br />. not authorjze or grant appropria- .
<br />: tions for any project that does not
<br />,fulfill, a genuine need for useful
<br />~~v,elopment of our water sup-
<br />plies and that has the full sup.
<br />port. and backing of all the water
<br />users and public that will repay the
<br />.cost -
<br />
<br />-,-,:
<br />
<br />.,--, ."". )..~, ".,"- ,. ~', 0; ';~'.".,
<br />IWODm;" ., B~r~~~~fi i~. ~j~~ir1:.eiR~~. ~;Ir~d~~&d;~t~~."
<br />, .. '.-';>';d .' ,~, "t '1 "''';l<,'' '",,'_h,,\u,.",,~t""tl<>ta1'>eo ~. ,
<br />Reclaf!1.at'op' .an~,;:'~.~b~~ ,.~t.~.f~~~~2\~,:>~.ir.".?;~;,",,,~ . - -:1":
<br />durmg.ffi" . '..,.i1d cOJ'i\i~"'~!\ )~f:,,~!~?P"I~~>'itM'l%~I*,&;q.!;ii
<br />lion of .lhe.Colorado Blg..Th~ _RS~Q', qJe'.la11'iJ1l's. ''Elf ". b " . 't" al' of
<br />Project. The,re w.~re and are'ma~y I do no~ mean, to. e. c.rI..lcn. ex.
<br />fine able, men:,am,ong~.the.i:..p~r,l?op.~.' t~e.. ~ureau,. ?ec~u~e It ,IS a know
<br />nel, but the Bure~u i~ n.?t,l"!all,l.bl.~, c~llent org~nlzabon, .and ,1. f the
<br />We have many locallrrlgatlpn ~en. that 'many.. ~~,af.f _ m~m?er~ ~rvoir
<br />who understand~the needs and con- Bureau want to bUlld, ~ les. ,
<br />ditions of the'South Pla'tte':'River o'n the South '~latte :Rlver. If. ~e
<br />b""tter than-th~'y'do:.'.The,'fin1r'de~ can get our" own' people to realize
<br />, ..'...... t d htFortMorgan
<br />.' terminatiQn 'mu,st h,e' th~,'~!f.sult. of. and UDders an _ ~ a, how the
<br />cooperation be~een t~e" I;\u~~au really needs. .t~: prosper, '.U n."
<br />MORE MORE MORE u'. :.... ..:1..________ proper reserVOlr storage WL e d
<br />' and some kind of an org'anization nance the value of. ~ur lan~~ an
<br />wh,'ch has united on-a"plan that will I how the proper d3;m-wouJd glV.~ .an
<br />. . I 't I to our pres-
<br />JJest serv_~ the needs of ,the .~n- I adequa,te .wa er supp y u~- bi
<br />tire valley' fro~ W,eld ~n? A.~am~ l.en~IY ,-1rrl%ated ac.reage, ~" ca~'
<br />Counties to Julesburg". ThiS "cap be I prob~em IS' ,"Solved. .T~e~ e. d'l
<br />done. It worked on (the ColOrado ; get ~Qge~her on a soun p a,n. an rk
<br />Big Thompson Project, -and if 'we am:'certain ,~~e. Bur~au,.W~llirW~at
<br />~an get together an,d. of~er, ~"s~u_~d w~th u~ to. pr~.Vl~e a r~serv: valle
<br />program the 'Bureau wlll]om WIth wlIl really benefit ,the 'W~Odl't i~
<br />us. I kno~ that some of.the,~ure~lU for all. time to 'come, an I ~
<br />engineers them'selves doubt the not. be at the, Nar~ows.. .
<br />feasibility of<th'e Narrows si~e, It. . _I make this fl,at ~re,dlctlOn, tha~
<br />will take a long time and an_enorrn- if the'Narrows sIte I!:! fm:'!lIY,select
<br />ous amount of work-'arid study for ed - it will :never be bUilt.
<br />there are "cifimtless problems 'that ' Sincerely,
<br />\viII havc'-to'be'Jolntly solved:-' . J. M. Dille
<br />j The information given out by the
<br />Bureau thu's 'far is .vague' a~.d in-
<br />~cfinite:'NaTrows -.has bee!1 o~ trae
<br />Bureau pro'gram for many years,
<br />I pnd the Denver-offiCe is tinder pres: '
<br />~ure to. justify, it, Bur~au, ~nginee~s
<br />admit that the Hardm sIte would
<br />provide more use"ful water supplies, ;
<br />They also claim that it would cost
<br />.lnore and' 'the'se statemgnts. are
<br />based 'on incomplete studies. Per-
<br />'son ally, I can'not accept ..the few
<br />~cost figures that ~ave lbeen used
<br />by the Bureau, It would seem that
<br />'the cost of acquiring the Narrows
<br />right ,of w~y and the moving of the
<br />~
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