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Arkansas Basin Roundtable Technical Meeting #1 <br />Meeting Summary <br />Comments <br />^ There was some concern regarding minimize costs as a subobjective because in one <br />roundtable member's opinion, something suffers when costs are minimized. Other <br />roundtable members felt strongly that cost benefits and cost effectiveness be included. <br />8. Protect Cultural Values <br />Draft Subobjectives Presented <br />^ Respect historical character of basin "way of life" <br />^ Maintain agricultural lands <br />Comments <br />^ Protect, encourage, and enhance cultural diversity <br />^ Respect urban way of life and quality of life values <br />^ Minimize harm to downstream users <br />^ Include agricultural and rural way of life and quality of life <br />9. Provide for Healthy Colorado Economy <br />Draft Subobjective Presented <br />^ Enhance local and state economy <br />Comments <br />^ A roundtable participant indicated that many Colorado counties are struggling while trying <br />to maintain a sustainable population. It was suggested that the opportunity to lease water <br />during the drought or dry years, as opposed to selling the water rights, could have helped <br />farms from foreclosing. It was further suggested that a subobjective be "Healthy Southeast <br />Colorado Economy." <br />New Objective Suggested by Group <br />^ Provide for Operational Flexibility <br />Comments <br />^ Roundtable members indicated that it is currently difficult to move water because of legal <br />hurdles. It was suggested that if the laws were slightly changed, then greater operational <br />flexibility could be achieved. <br />^ An example of operational flexibility that has been initiated is the concept of a water bank. In <br />short, users are able to "deposit" water when they have a surplus, then "withdraw" the water <br />when it is needed. Although this concept has been initiated in the Arkansas Basin, the timing <br />of the program was bad because it was initiated during a drought period. <br />^ With respect to agriculture, increased operational flexibility could improve water <br />management and be very helpful. For agriculture, demands change with drought conditions. <br />~~ <br />Copy ofArkansas BRT Mtg #1 Summary_fnal.doc 11/14/2003 <br />