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THE DENVER POST c METRO Tuesdav.November21.200~ 1"~!' Court-rejects water-storage project .~. Justicesuphold . decision to deny . Arapahoe plan Shot down Th'eproposed Uni.on Park Reservoir project was shot down Monday when the . Colorado Supreme Court upheld a State water court ruling, ,: . . .J . By The Associated Press' The state Supreme' Cou~t ruled against Arapahoe County com.mission- , ers Mo~day, 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 c9unty argued that Ute 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 The projects allow Colorado to devel- Colorado River Storage Project Act to op its water resources. while ensuring serve as a mechanism for Upper Basin . thaht adequate water remains .in s~ora~e states to develop their water resources . to elp meet the compact obhgatlons m .and still meet their Colorado River . dry years. Compact obligations, The Supreme Court also found that . The Denver Post the water coUrt correctly implemented Congress' intent to subOrdinate 60,000 acrewfeet to in-basin. water users while providing a 240,000' ac~foot market- able pool for future water users. . Arapahoe County Commissioner ~a- Q Q ~ I-d 0,) W 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 tliey say, we nee~ water," Mackenzie said, "By . the year 2020, the Front ijange will need 300,000 . acre~feet of water tha.t we don't pres- ently.iQlow where ~o get, . .. "One risk is that if we get water fQr . people, we will take it from the fannen and put a~iculture at risk." .' Mackenzie said the decision. me~ Colorado water will be used to water crops downs~r~am, '. . ~i "We have anywhere from ,one-half million to 1 million acre-feet .of water leaving the state to move to California, Nevada -and other do~tream states.: "We were looking for a way for Coloi. rado.t<J 'store water we are entitled to and use it in. the dry years," Mackenzie s~d.. . .~ But. Colorado Attorney General Ken, Salazar said he was happy with. the d~ cision, which shoul!i put an end. to th(!' . 14-year fight that has cost more than $6 million, . "The Colorado Supre~e Court has acted to protect Colorado wa.ter righ~ and Colorado's system of. water. app~ ,priation:; he s.aid, . Denver Post Staff Writer Ginny Me. Kibben contributed to this report. .