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<br />001347 <br /> <br />A Colorado State Water Plan: Do We Have One? <br />Presented to Western States Water Council <br />Water Management Symposium: State Water plans <br /> <br />September 6-7. 1989 <br />David W. Walker. Deputy Director <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br /> <br />The answer to the question in the title has two parts: it <br /> <br />depends upon who you ask. and it depends upon what you mean by <br /> <br />a "state water plan." I'm going to share with you the answers <br /> <br />given by four prominent Colorado water lawyers whose <br /> <br />conclusions. to end any suspense. are that we don't have one in <br /> <br />the normal sense of a document with 'Iwater plan" on the cover. <br /> <br />What we do have is a system of constitutional and statutory <br /> <br />law. policies. and pro~rams which has served us well and <br /> <br />performs for Colorado what a water plan purports to provide. <br /> <br />Before discussing further our current circumstances. a <br /> <br />historical perspective will help you understand why we take the <br /> <br />approach we do and how we arrive at our current situation. <br /> <br />First. I want to blame it all on the feds. <br /> <br />In the 19305 <br /> <br />and 40s the state saw an opportunity to have the federal <br /> <br />treasury pay for major dams. reservoirs, and delivery systems <br /> <br />that would be the backbone of a water development plan. ln <br /> <br />1945 for example. the Colorado Water Conservation Board adopted <br /> <br />a post war water plan which consisted of a list of nine feder.al <br /> <br />0778R* <br /> <br />~OS~ <br />