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THE DENVER POST c Tuesday, November 21, 2000 ~,r- ,- Court rejects water-storage project Justices uphold decision to deny Arapahoe plan By The Associated Press I The state Supreme Court ruled against Arapahoe County commission- ers Monday, agreeing with a water court that denied their applications for conditional water rights for the Union Park Reservoir Project. The water court concluded that there was insufficient water available for the large water-storage project west of the Continental Divide in the Upper Gunni- son River Basin. The county argued that the Gunnison River Basin above the Aspinall Unit contains ample water resources for the transbasin diversion of water across the Continental Divide for ultimate use on Colorado's Front Range. The Supreme Court upheld the water court, holding that it properly deter. mined the amount of water available. The court said Congress intended the Colorado River Storage Project Act to serve as a mechanism for Upper Basin states to develop their water resources and still meet their Colorado River Compact obligations. METRO Shot down ./ The proposed Union Park Reservoir project was shot down Monday when the Colorado Supreme Court upheld a State water court ruling. ... The Denver Post The projects allow Colorado to devel- op its water resources while ensuring that adequate water remains in storage to help meet the compact obligations in dry years. The Supreme Court also found that the water colirt correctly implemented Congress' intent to subordinate 60,000 acre-feet to in-basin water users while providing a 240,000 acre~foot market- able pool for future water users. Arapahoe County Commissioner Ma- ,f C:;;"l o N C:.:n N <=' rie Mackenzie said the court's ruling was disappointing, and warned that it does not address the future needs of the developing Front Range. "No matter what they say, we need water," Mackenzie said. "By the year 2020, the Front ijange will need 300,000 , acre-feet of water that we don't pres- ently know where to get. "One risk is that if we get water for people, we willtake it from the farmers and put agriculture at risk." Mackenzie said the decision mea~ Colorado water will be used to water crops downstream. ':, "We have anywhere from one-half million to 1 million acre-feet of water leaving the state to move to California, Nevada and other downstream states. "We were looking for a way for Colo- rado to store water we are entitled to and use it in the dry years," Mackenzie said. But Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar said he was happy with the de., cision, which should put an end to the 14-year fight that has cost more than $6 million. "The Colorado Supreme Court has acted to protect Colorado water righ~ and Colorado's system of water appro- ,priation," he said. Denver Post Staff Writer Ginny Mc- Kibben contributed to this report.