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<br />O.Od036 <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br /> <br />FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br />April 2, 2003 <br /> <br />CONTACT: Dawn Taylor <br />(303) 866-5887 <br /> <br />HISTORIC SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT REACHED ON <br />BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON WATER RIGHTS <br /> <br />DENVER - The State of Colorado announced today a historic agreement with the U.S. <br />Department of Interior to settle what is believed to be the most controversial water court case in <br />Colorado history. Greg Walcher, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural <br />Resources, signed the agreement on behalf ofthe state, along with Commissioner John Keys of the <br />Bureau of Reclamation, Randy Jones of the National Park Service, and Colorado Attorney General <br />Ken Salazar. <br /> <br />t <br /> <br />"This settlement brings an end to a generation-old dispute and ushers in a new era of cooperation <br />with the federal government that results in real environmental benefits," said Walcher. "Spending <br />millions on litigation is not the way to protect water rights and the environment, and we commend <br />Secretary Gale Norton and the U.S. ,Department of Interior for working with us on this innovative <br />approach." <br /> <br />Over 383 parties - including the State of Colorado - had gone to court to oppose a National Park <br />Service (NPS) reserved water right claim to the Black Canyon ofthe Gunnison. The filing was to <br />quantify a reserved water right awarded to the NPS in water court more than twenty years ago (but <br />never quantified). After Colorado's repeated requests to work with the State on the issue were <br />denied, the NPS filed for quantification on the last day of the Clinton Administration. The filing <br />was structured in a way that could have created drought-like conditions in the Gunnison during <br />some times, and devastating floods at others. <br /> <br />Thousands of West Slope water rights (3,500 water rights upstream of the reservoirs and 3,350 <br />water rights downstream and below the reservoirs), gold medal trout water, power production, <br />irrigation, and recreation could have been seriously impacted. The quantification even raised dam <br />safety issues and the potential of flooding downstream in the Town of Delta. <br /> <br />Under the terms of the settlement, the NPS will receive a 300 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) reserved <br />