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<br />
<br />Professor McCree passed away in
<br />August 1987, and the Supreme Court
<br />appointed Arthur D. littJeworth, an
<br />~orney in Riverside, California, to be
<br />the Special Master.
<br />
<br />...
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<br />
<br />The Special Deputy Attorneys General,
<br />and members of the Engineering firms
<br />retained Or the State of Colorado.
<br />devoted a great deal of time in 1989
<br />researching historic documents and
<br />records in preparation for consultation
<br />wilh the Special Master. Artorneys for
<br />the District participated in a number
<br />of meetings with Special Legal
<br />Counsel to provide information related
<br />to District records, and to protect the
<br />decrees of the District and the Winter
<br />Storage Program. Chief Engineer
<br />Raben Jesse spenl a great deal of his
<br />time during the ~ar participating in
<br />meetings with Special legal Counsel,
<br />Attorneys for the District and
<br />Engineers for various agencies.
<br />
<br />Special Milster littlewonh, and
<br />members of his staff, loured the lower
<br />Arkansas Valley in 1988 10 become
<br />familiar with the operations of Pueblo,
<br />Trinidad and John Martin Reservojf'j,
<br />as well as hydrologic characteristics of
<br />tributaries. Mr. Robert Jesse, Chief
<br />Engineer, participated in the lour. The
<br />General Manager of the District, who
<br />serves as Chairman of the Board of
<br />Trmlees of the Winter Storage Program
<br />attended the Annual Meeting of the
<br />Arkansas River Compact Administra-
<br />tion in lamar, December 11, 1990.
<br />
<br />The trial commenced in Ihe US Court
<br />House, in Pasadena, California, on
<br />Monday, September 17, 1990 with
<br />expert witnesses for the Stale of
<br />Kdnsas presenting testimony describing
<br />ex.lensive computer studies. The tria]
<br />contmued on a sel schedule, with
<br />receso;es for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
<br />Legal Counsel for the two state<;
<br />expect the case to be concluded in
<br />April or May 1991.
<br />
<br />WATER SALES
<br />
<br />We mentioned in OIher sections of
<br />this report the various types of water
<br />sales which took place in the Vallt>y,
<br />and became a part of complex Water
<br />Court issues. 1986 and 1987 were
<br />'years when actual and proposed sales
<br />were the topic oi conversation in
<br />every part ot the Valley. The purchase
<br />of Rocky Ford Ditch water 1>,.' the Cit\,
<br />
<br />of Aurora involved approximately
<br />8,150 acre-feet per year, with a
<br />negotiated price of $2,200 per acre-
<br />feet for half the rights, and 52,300 an
<br />acre-foot for the other halt. Aurora
<br />also purchased water rights from the
<br />Colorado Canal Company involving
<br />5,600 acre-feet at an estimated cost of
<br />$2,500 per acre-foot. Aurora also
<br />purchased 45 percent of the 8usk-
<br />jvanhoe Ditch Company, inwlving
<br />approximately 3.000 acre-feel at a cosl
<br />of $3.500 per acre-foot. The Busk-
<br />Ivanhoe Woller is transmounlain water,
<br />which does not it'Mllve the extensi~
<br />litigation required in the yle of
<br />decreed water rights in the
<br />Arkansas Valley.
<br />
<br />While these sales were actually con-
<br />summated during the year, reports of
<br />others were rampant throughoul the
<br />Valley, including the creation of a
<br />Corporation under the Fort L\'Un Canal
<br />Company, a similar one under the
<br />Amity Irrigation Compo:1ny, and a
<br />proposal Or the Fort Bent Canal
<br />Company, 10 offer a majority of their
<br />water shares for sale. Similar proposals
<br />were being discus!.t:'d in the upper
<br />reaches of the Arkansas Valley,
<br />including Custer and Chaffee County.
<br />Areas of the statf> evidencing the
<br />greatest interest in the purchase of
<br />agricultural water rights are in the
<br />Denver Metropolitan area and the area
<br />east of the City of Colorado Springs,
<br />where growth is anticipated.
<br />
<br />In each of these instances, it is
<br />anticipated the individual sellers will
<br />benefil from the large amount of cash
<br />they will be p<lid, and still will be
<br /><lble 10 live on their property. In the
<br />Rocky Ford Ditch Case, stipulations
<br />were reached to require that prCNi-
<br />sions be made to replace irrigated
<br />land with native vegetation, and also
<br />to protect the rights of the non-sellers
<br />to obtain their water. The District has
<br />a longstanding Policy not to sell
<br />Project water to ditch and irrigation
<br />companies to replace decreed water
<br />rights which have been sold and
<br />remCM!d from the land.
<br />
<br />PERSO~~EL CHANGES
<br />
<br />For the fif'jt time in 15 years, major
<br />changes occurred in the sto:1ff of the
<br />District. On February 15, Mr. Jad
<br />Garner, Chiei. Pueblo Office, US
<br />Bureau of Recl<lmation, was promoted
<br />
<br />and transferred to the staff of the
<br />Commissioner of Reclamalion in
<br />Washington, o.c. Mr. Robert Jesse,
<br />Chief Engineer, for the District since
<br />August 1988, was hired 10 succeed Mr.
<br />Garner, and resigned from the District
<br />to <lssume his new duties on July 30,
<br />1990. The General Manager then hired
<br />Mr. Tom Simpson to succeed Mr. Jesse
<br />on August 20, 1990. Mr. Simpson
<br />worked in the office of the Division
<br />Engineer, Division 2, as an Engineer-
<br />ing Technician for 10 years.
<br />
<br />After 26 years of outstanding service,
<br />Mrs. Mary M. "Mollie" Brown, elected
<br />to retire, and was recognized by the
<br />Board and staff for her exceptional
<br />service at a retirement ceremony on
<br />Thursday, September 20, 1990. Mollie,
<br />served as receptionist, clerk typist,
<br />Acting Manager, accountant, and since
<br />1966, as Office Manager. The General
<br />Manager promoted Mrs. Toni Gonzales
<br />to Office Manager on September 20,
<br />1990. Mrs. Gonzales came to work for
<br />the District in November 1975. Mrs.
<br />Kelly Brace, was hired on September
<br />11, 1990 to succeed Mrs. Gonzales.
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