|
<br />2.. Gunnison Country Times. Thursday,. February 5, 2004
<br />
<br />.'. .... .' '. 'F'\'O'J' '''')' :' :::.~jzf'~;::~;~{;~~:;~~'lj
<br />., . \.:.:..l I:\ 1.1 C)L..(]':..... ,.,.,1-" "_..\1l).,,,~
<br />. ..... . .: '; .' . ..' ."! ~'''''': 'i>fmj~5~;1~g~{~~
<br />
<br />A day with the
<br />Water Buffaloes:
<br />The State of the'Water 2004'
<br />
<br />~
<br />.:::
<br />bJ)
<br />'i5
<br />41
<br />;..
<br />Q
<br />:=
<br />..:==
<br />l-o
<br />~
<br />=
<br />Q
<br />'a
<br />.=:1
<br />to...
<br />Q
<br />=
<br />,S
<br />-
<br />~
<br />.=
<br />I;';
<br />>
<br />III
<br />~
<br />=
<br />III
<br /><;oS)
<br />..
<br />III
<br />~
<br />-
<br />~
<br />..:==
<br />III
<br />III
<br />III
<br />"'::l
<br />:;
<br />.::
<br />~
<br />III
<br />..
<br />III
<br />":::l
<br />~
<br />..:::
<br />]
<br />~
<br />=
<br />e
<br />+E
<br />Q;
<br />~
<br />-
<br />..
<br />4'
<br />.::
<br />-
<br />~
<br />~
<br />';:0
<br />.!:!
<br />..
<br />e
<br />=
<br />-
<br />
<br />
<br />I just got back from 'an
<br />.1nual descent into the
<br />:lly of tlle beast to hang
<br />Ir a couple 0 f days \Vith
<br />:olorado's wa Ler buffalo,
<br />I Lhe 46Lh Annual Con-
<br />mtion of the Colorado
<br />vater Congress. George SiVley
<br />The Colorado Water'
<br />:ongress is an' organization that
<br />uIls together the slates water man-
<br />gers, water conservancies and
<br />onservation districts, water cngi-
<br />,eers, water allomeys, and a smat-
<br />~ring 0 f WaLeI' scientists and
<br />nvironmen r.alislS "La promoLe the
<br />.ise rrumagement and stewardship
<br />If the States water resources for the
<br />.eneHl of Colorados present and
<br />utUre generations. ft
<br />The water buffalo of Colorado
<br />:ontlnue to promote the com-
<br />Ielllng post-\V'N11 vision thaL there
<br />I'ere no limits Lo what Americans
<br />:ouId do tl1I"Ough the application of
<br />echnolog}; mone)~ discipline and
<br />ngenuity to the challenges pre-
<br />:ented by nature, communism,
<br />leath, space and other perceived
<br />'problems. "
<br />The Water Congress rose to its
<br />'ull power in the 1960s and .'70s
<br />A'hen the federal government,
<br />hrough the Bureau of Reclamation,
<br />....as still pouring billions of dollars
<br />:nto the West for water develop-
<br />ment. The water buffalo were led
<br />then by West Slope Congressman
<br />Wa)lle Aspinall who, as chair of the
<br />House Interior Committee, steered
<br />a lot of that money toward Col-
<br />orado for projects like the Aspinall
<br />Unit dams west of Gunnison.
<br />Today, the federal money for
<br />water development has entirely
<br />dried up; and the feds are now seen
<br />mostly as part of the problem,
<br />source of endless environmental
<br />rules and proscriptions, and many
<br />of the water buffalo along the Front
<br />Range are confronting the unantic-
<br />ipated consequences of "getling
<br />what you wish for" in tenns of
<br />growth.
<br />But the spirit of Aspinall is still.
<br />the guiding light of the Water Con-
<br />gress - the last event of their annu-
<br />al convenLion is to announce the
<br />"Wayne Aspinall WaLer Leader of
<br />the Year" - and the annual conven-
<br />lion is a good place to go La find out
<br />
<br />~
<br />-
<br />a
<br />.:
<br />I.,
<br />=
<br />~V>
<br />Q
<br />"'::l
<br />e
<br />o
<br />"'5
<br />U
<br />
<br />what's cooking with
<br />those who move and
<br />manage the states
<br />water.
<br />But what was cook-
<br />ing Lhis year was most-
<br />ly a fairly high heal of
<br />consternation and con-
<br />fusion in the wake of
<br />the Referendum A debacle.
<br />The Water Congress had sup-
<br />ported the referendum, and at-
<br />templed to address Ihis loss in a
<br />lllanner that was, for a bunch of re-
<br />publicans (mostly), a 10L like a de-
<br />mocrat primary: they put about 20
<br />buffalo in a squared-off circle
<br />around the problem and, in what
<br />was euphemistically listed on tile
<br />program as "A Dialogue on WaLeI'
<br />Development After Referendum
<br />A," started firing at Cllch other.
<br />Some of this dialogue deserved
<br />an "R" rating - not just for the ver-
<br />bal violence, but an "R" for
<br />"Rerun," since we had heard a 10L
<br />of lhe same Lhings said las t year,
<br />and some of them for the last 40
<br />years. This moved Jason Peltier,
<br />DepulY Asst. Secretar)' of InLerior
<br />for WaLer and Science, to observe
<br />that it can be '~painfuJ to watch a
<br />discussion where c\'ef}'body knows
<br />what everybody else is going to
<br />say."
<br />But there were some diamonds
<br />in all the ~oal shoveled around that
<br />morning. West Slopers were in
<br />short supply on the panel- Reeves
<br />Brown from Club 20 and Eric
<br />Kuhn from the Colorado River
<br />WaLeI' Conservation District. But
<br />Kuhn was brave enough to say
<br />what a lot of 115 are wondering over
<br />here: that there might not be any
<br />"million acre-feet of Colorado River
<br />water left to develop as Colomdos
<br />share of the river. "
<br />He was engaging in what has
<br />generally been a no-no in Western
<br />water: looking at scientific facts. He
<br />pointed first at the Colorado River:S
<br />steady decline through the 20th
<br />cen tury. from a 20-year "average
<br />flowft of around 18 million acre-fee[
<br />when the Colorado River Compact
<br />was signed in 1922, to a lOO-year
<br />Merage today of just over 15 mil.
<br />lion acre-feet.
<br />
<br />See Water 011 page 11
<br />
<br />Water.
<br />
<br />cOfltinu'ed (rom page 2 .
<br />"idea the CWell'studied laSt year
<br />But then he brought up the re- with' a half-million dollar budget,
<br />constructions of flows for the past only to learn thaL it was very, vel}'
<br />500 years, based on tree-rings lUld expensive. Uterallya "last straw. ft
<br />other studies. which indicaLe the Nor wa.; there any indicatio~
<br />longer-lenn ave~age Dow is proba- from any of the Front Ran.e:ers thaJ.
<br />hly "between 13 and 13,5 million' anyone is thinltins: about Gunni-
<br />acre-feet." This basically means . son Basin water at this pOint,- ex.
<br />that tIle Colorado River is alrelldy' cept for Dave Miller, of course,
<br />at full development and then who continues his. one-man'
<br />~. media-and-mover blitz on behalf
<br />'. tJobodv wanted (0 hear that. oOhe Union Park proposal.~
<br />On Lhe internal front, Auroras metro waler districts seem to be
<br />director or resources Peter Binney ?larking closer to horne, and on
<br />tried to defuse some of the pas- Uiqre modest projects, and most of
<br />sioMte agricu1tural representatives the marulgers there seem to ~.
<br />who claimed that municipal Ihat may well be the shape of the
<br />growth was going to pUL Colorado . future in water development:. . .
<br />ilgricuhure out of business. He In sum, from an Upper Gunni-
<br />polmed out, first, that no one was son perspeclive, there continues to
<br />fordng the Arkaru;as River Valley be a lot of general talk among the .
<br />fanners LO sell their water to the water buffalo about "the need t~
<br />cities; the fanners were just tlliIk;. . develop more storage.~ but no.;
<br />ing good market-based decisions. ' . .body seems to be lookini specifi-
<br />And second, he pointed to the flg- cally, with any immediacy, at the.
<br />ures about use: with the fanners Upper Gunnison .- especially in
<br />now using close to 90 percent of the wake of Referendum A. Not
<br />the water in Lhe staLe, a doubling now. Not yet. But like the man
<br />of water use in the metro area . said; "just because you're para-
<br />woulclstillleave more than 80 per- noid doesn't m~ they aren't out
<br />cent of the water in agriculture. 10 get you. ft.
<br />A number of the speakers fo- _'
<br />~
<br />cused on lhe CWCBs current Slate tIl .2::
<br />WaLer Supply Initiative study ...... ~ I E
<br />(SWSO as a potentially positive 3 .,g -' -:!, ~ 8.. ;;
<br />note for geLting the state organized ~ g 2:> 2. ~:: 0
<br />forwaler development. SWSI is an ~ ....;: s::: Cl.)'- ~ U
<br />2 ~-tnc) ...
<br />effort 10 examine, basin by basin, -' 0 :> E.. ~ 5 ~
<br />lhe water resources and near-fu- t.... .......... ..... Q
<br />o=o..gg:...;...J
<br />ture needs of each river basin in c- 9 ~ E'- G) 15 "-
<br />Colorado. The study will be corn- ~ gp;>., 'z 2:> :>'';:; ~
<br />Id'N b S::_o~--il.lQE
<br />peLe m overn er. E ~ E ~.~ Cl.) .B ';j
<br />BUL a problem ....1m SWSI is the _ .... <I) ~ == :: E 0...
<br />fact that many people are doing Vi ~ .~ :.a oS 8 c. r--.~
<br />.... .- "'0 <Il U - \0
<br />exactly what the speakers at the ~ ~ ::I o~..g,;, oS Vi
<br />"Dialogue" said they shouldn't do: ~ 1;; CI'l <Il - C x:
<br />Q......c.,..c::::il.lo
<br />bringing to the table the luggage u c.. Q,l .... t':l ~ E CQ
<br />f f x-,:,u~=
<br />rom a centul}' 0 interbasin mls- Q,l ~ '0 gf.... &'.i' 2 c..,f
<br />trust, ambiguous experience and c: -;:: "C.- ;:! ,- ,- Vi
<br />~ Q =.5 '::: -a ::: "'1'
<br />outright contention. Harold.!:2 1;; I;tJ '0 A Q. Q) M
<br />Miskel of the CWCB said that, if 1:: ~ 0.0 Q,l -C ~ "'0 ~
<br />SWSI was to be useful, "people::l .5 -0 1;1) ... c: <C.
<br />0"'0'" Q,lp.. ~ c:l~
<br />have to be more open, and stop u c: ~ a c 1il ,....." ..
<br />being so paranoid and parochial." g Q~ ~ ~.2 ~ ~ 8
<br />Another speaker 'said SWSI >. 23 .. ,- c e.o 0 0
<br />..2,~ . c.::J .5 So ~
<br />couldn't succeed if "people were ,.Q t;:; cu Q. ,..... .......
<br />.- ::: ~ ;:l iI.l.!2 r.h co
<br />only at the table to keep their own r.r.l 0 ...... CIl._ x: .... -.:t
<br />Q)u<l);..,'-'~"':::,-.,
<br />ox from getting gored. ~ bO ..... cu Ul S e.o C\
<br />The "Dialogue" was notable for 6' 25 ~ ~.::: 0 s ;:::
<br />what wasn'L discussed too. I heard Il,}.- ::. ;::.;:.4 ~ .... '-'
<br />OVl;;-ll.)CIl "0
<br />no .mention at all of "The Big CI'l i! 11 .-::: ti ~ E ~
<br />Stra\\;" the idea for moving West :.a 25 ~ ,51 E; Q) 2 ::
<br />t- (.) ..... ,- <I'l "':'
<br />stope water back up into the head- .. >.. ~ ~CIl ~ :;-. u ..::
<br />waters from the Utah border - an ~c:.l .~ ::: 1;;; r: ;:?= ~
<br />=ollJ~..s.EZ(o::l
<br />Q..~"" </} or..::. 0
<br />
<br />t~~
<br />Q .:;!
<br />Q,I~ C,I
<br />! c:> !.~.
<br />Q..ii=""~
<br />Q,I fool ~-=
<br />'Q . I Q.l)
<br />>. ~ 'S
<br />4).~ ~ Q.I
<br />~ '-' 1.." ~
<br />'r;.: ~ ~ Q
<br />rI) ,J:i .=: :::
<br />e .!! 'ii .;;:
<br />~'rClI.,
<br />....<=~
<br />~ Cl.. l-o
<br />;S~~=
<br />Z ,S
<br />.s 1:=
<br />.c~o~
<br />~- CI'.l.....
<br /><PC Q ... g
<br />I., = - ""
<br />~ ~ li 4=
<br />~ I;'; = =
<br />~e...=
<br />..~~O
<br />~J Q;l e;:
<br />o > Q._
<br />Z 'c:c ==
<br />
<br />M
<br />M
<br />
<br />~ .s '5 ~ ~
<br />:.st~~~
<br />~ ~ e ,..: V>
<br />-; en,;,e
<br />s":I":l';!;
<br />ii=CIIlQ,
<br />E~"::&.Q.l)
<br />~ ~ Q =
<br />= '- ~ I., .-
<br />!:O=Q..l:I.
<br />.- ::: Q - e
<br />~E ii .: rI>
<br />~=...t~
<br />-Q"'--
<br />~.!a 8.5 ~
<br />QClitrnZ
<br />.... CI Q ~ bJ)
<br />;=-Q=
<br />ZO~e'C:
<br />Q,I"OI,;;~=
<br />~ Q,I Q,I- ~
<br />.... c. ;.. 0
<br />bJ)Q.:u~
<br />d .s I': ~
<br />:0::==31':
<br />Ii'$ = t Q;l g.
<br />'Q....:::;..s
<br />->- ; = S 8
<br />Q~~it.....
<br />"'="'~<-
<br />e;::..~t
<br />o~.sr,;:ilc.
<br />"; .5 (ll !:
<br />u;"at;c.
<br /><II = ill III ...
<br />,- ~ Q.. Q., Q
<br />........ e c =
<br />-= ;... = -;: .~
<br />:::..CICl..-=c..
<br />~~Q;J
<br />!=es~e~
<br />.- Z I: Q -
<br />i;;_Q~~
<br />QJ ......- ~ s:
<br />= C"l = <l.> 0
<br />-< ;:J' == r,,;,
<br />
|