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<br />. <br /> <br />fears were groundless and that it would be the Department's policy that <br /> <br /> <br />future water development plans would recognize the needs of all regions of <br /> <br /> <br />the state. To implement this policy the Department established three <br /> <br /> <br />criteria: (I) the State Water Project would be designed to put the area of <br /> <br /> <br />origin in a better position than it was before the project (this criteria was <br /> <br /> <br />also recommended for major interbasin transfers by the Western States <br /> <br /> <br />Water Councii in 1967); (2) financing would be provided to permit <br /> <br /> <br />construction of additional projects as necessary to assure a continuing and <br /> <br /> <br />dependable supply of water to 'the importing region; and (3) financing would <br /> <br /> <br />be provided to permit construction of additional projects as necessary to <br /> <br /> <br />assure water for future growth of the area of origin.J-23 The law <br /> <br /> <br />authorizing the issuance and sale of bonds explicitly incorporated criteria <br /> <br /> <br />one (l32 million of bond funds were earmarked essentially for building dams <br /> <br /> <br />and other works in the area of origin) and two, and implici tly incorpora ted <br /> <br /> <br />criterion three. <br /> <br />"No definitive court opinions have interpreted these area-of-origin <br /> <br /> <br />sta tutes.J-24 Although there is a possibility that some day the statutes <br /> <br /> <br />may be tested in court, it seems more likely that the pledges by the state <br /> <br /> <br />of continued development will adequately meet any such controversy. <br /> <br />Colorado <br /> <br />"One of the earliest state statutes designed to protect an area of origin <br /> <br /> <br />grew out of the planning for the Colorado-Big Thompson Project)-25 This <br /> <br /> <br />Project was designed to carry some 310,000 acre-feet of water per year <br /> <br /> <br />from the west slope of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to the east slope, <br /> <br />-22- <br />