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<br />SECWCD BOARD MEMBER <br />SPOTLIGHT. RALPH ADKINS <br />"HE HOLDS THE GAVEL" <br /> <br />Since 19~ 1. Ralph Adkins has <br />sl'n:l.'d as rrl'sidcnr of [\11,.' RO;l.fll oj <br />Dirl.'crors of dlt' SoutheaSTern <br />Colorado Water COIlSt."T\'ancy <br />District. April 2002 will mark his <br />11th year as president. and 29 <br />years on the SECWCn Roard. He <br />holds the sl'conJ IOIl.L:l's[ tellure ()( <br />Sc-T'vicc on till' Disnier Rn,ull. <br />sl'wnJ only to Frank Mil.,-'nski <br />who SI'TveJ the Disrrin for 40 <br />)'l'ars. <br />In 1946, Ralph bcg:an in rhe <br />water businl'ss whell he hccaml' <br />"l'll.L:inel'r Llf lllltsilll,."rlanr water" <br />for the CF&I Cnrpllration. He <br />;!(wally sr:lffl'J his work (or CF&I <br />in 1943 in thl' company's civil <br />cngincl'ring dcrarrmcnt as a <br />yUlIn!.: graJu;Itt.' engineer from <br />Clllllradu State Univcrsity. He- <br />then ;mswcTeJ the call tu hl'll' <br />pnlll'ct his COllntry and joined the <br />U.S. Navy, sl'I'Ving two [Ours in <br />the P.lI.:ifi.... during \Xlorld War II. <br />In 1946, he rt'turned to the CF&I <br />w{lrking ior Harold Christy in tht' <br />Powt'r and Water Divishlll of <br />CF&I. Ralph says, 'The rest i-; <br />history." <br />JUM likl.' a proiessillllall'nginl'er. <br />Ralph will tell you he worked ior <br />CF&I tor "WY.! years" to ~ exact, <br />rl,tiring May of 1983 as the <br />Director of W.lter Opl'rations for <br />the CF&I Corporation. He <br />manal.:ed land and water for HIll' <br />of the lar~l'st landowners in rhe <br />western Unirl.d States Juring the <br />hay"\.lay of lIll' stl'l,1 industry at <br />PUl,hlo's CF&1. To say t1l,1t Ralph <br />has expl'dence III the W,l[l'r <br />husinl'ss is an undl'rstatel1ll'nt. HI.' <br />has fllrgotten more ah\lllt water <br />than most of us willl'ver know. <br /> <br /> <br />Ralph A.lkiM, SEeWeD <br />Ph."Jl'ot <br /> <br />Since 1946, and sincc his sl.'n:ke <br />(In thl' Distri(t Board of Dirl.'CltlrS <br />bl'gan in 1973. R,dph Adkins ha.. <br />Sl'en a lot Ilf changes and a lot \Ii <br />things stay thl' same in the water <br />business. Hl' says Pl'orlc an: srill <br />iighting OWl' water. just like thl'Y <br />have done f(lr morl' than ;l <br />hundrt'd years in Colorado, hut <br />no\\' iI'S much <br />more difficult <br />to dl'\'el\lP new <br />pro j C l" t S . <br />" Y \) 1I r t' <br />opposed at <br />l'"ct)'lurn," Mr. <br />Adkins says, <br />and ii he Wl're <br />still manaJ.:lIlJ.: <br />watt'r for CF&1. <br />hl' wouldn't It)' - <br />Illany of the <br />important watl'r <br />rights i.."hanJ!l:s <br />that ht' llld <br /> <br />I} <br /> <br />i <br /> <br />many )'e;lrs ago. Hl' does admit <br />that the administration (l( water <br />righrs l:<y the slate is better (mure <br />continuity). Although, he'll tdl <br />you that rhl' state docs not have ro <br />he involwd in eVet)' watl'r ri/,!hts <br />caSl' that comes before the water <br />court judge; that pranice malt.s it <br />tough on thl' wart'r right ownl'r. <br />Ralph rememhl'rs all thl' talk <br />ahoUt thl' Fryingpan-Arkansas <br />Projen when he h~gan his work at <br />CF&1. Hl' has had his share {If <br />work ro do w see thl' PnljeCl <br />dt'vdop. Hl' was in rhe mix of the <br />tle"c1opmt'll[ of the hy-Ark <br />Projl'Cl (r(lm rill' "goldl'n <br />ft)"in/,!pans w Ihe reality of the <br />trans-mllunlain din'rsilm pn1jl'ct," <br />and he' dirl'crly nl'gotiared the <br />4 <br /> <br />transfer of CF&J's Sugar Loaf <br />Rcsl'rvoir to the Bureilu of <br />Reclamation so that the n'servoir <br />nlllltl he enlargl.d ro crl'ale the <br />Project's TurquIlisl' Rl.'sernlir. <br />As for the District irsdf. Ralph <br />hdie\'Cs it h:l.~ ml't its original goal <br />to plhh t/.lr the dl'wlopmenl oi rill' <br />Fryingpan-Arkansa:-o Projl'ct. Ralph <br />hclkvcs that the Disrricl has (It'l'n <br />.....blessl.tl wirh a gout! RoarJ of <br />Directors Ihrough rhe Yl'ars..." thar <br />has stayed fpcusl.d on the need and <br />purpll:-oe of rhe Projl'cr. According <br />to Ralph not a whole Il It has <br />changl'J sinCl' he ~t;lrtcJ <br />his service on rill' District <br />Roard. The cffl'ctivc <br />operation of Ihe Ft)'"Ark <br />Projl.'ct ro deliver much <br />nl'eded watet to <br />sOLJtheasrl'rn Colotallo is <br />still rhe main goal anJ <br />focus o( the Disrrkt. <br />Ralph hdicvl's rhe <br />Dislrkl'~ Prl'(crrl,<1 SltlraJ,.:l' <br />I Options Plan (PSOP) is <br />"cry much needed for rhe <br />(murl', providing swrage <br />that I.~ essl'nrial W the <br />future of the Arkansas <br />Riwr "allt.y. This time anlllnd, <br />Ralph sees the process of <br />dl'vcloping nl'W sroragl.' capacity 10 <br />he even more polilkal than ir was <br />the first time, with a much Illore <br />difficult climate in Washingtull, D. <br />C. lit, thinks, "The local support is <br />dll'rl' for thl' rsop, hut it's totally <br />political so we have to finll a way to <br />gl't rhin/,!s Jonl' in D.C." Ralph <br />admits that he is somerimes <br />disaproinrl'd in concrt'.ss. From his <br />Pl.rsPl.ctiVl' t111'rl' is "...too Illurh <br />fighting..." wilh many melllllcrs <br />unwilling ro !t.t go of their own <br />ilgl'ndas and "look ar the hig <br />picture." <br />He also lwlit.\"cs that rhe r"" <br />11'<,<" 1I'''f\.\'n",fjI'''n/''''f'oJ~....11 ..; <br /> <br />;' <br /> <br />I <br />