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Arkansas Basin <br />Alan Hamel <br />Status Quo <br />• Things at the basin level and sub-basin level will get more complex, and less gets <br />done, i.e., PSOP, which should be straightforward, has become contentious. <br />• If we are not able to find processes on a regional or statewide basis, people will <br />splinter and go off and do their own projects. This is not the best way. It will take <br />regional projects to maximize existing facilities and future facilities. <br />• On the eastern plains, it is now either all or nothing when it comes to drying up all of <br />agriculture, but it doesn't have to be that way, i.e., there are win-wins. <br />• There are a number of people who do want to get out of farming so there are <br />opportunities to obtain some water rights. Others want to stay in farming and <br />arrangements can be made to help them and benefit the cities. <br />Alternative <br />• Want to blend agricultural and municipal/industrial economies, and recreational and <br />environmental. <br />• Needs to look back at what was envisioned under 1177. <br />• Look at successes, i.e., Upper Arkansas (rafting, instream flow program). <br />• Land fallowing water leasing needs a lot of work in terms of sustainability to give <br />municipalities assurance of water in 50 years. <br />• Quantify the remaining allocation in the Colorado River. <br />• The Needs Assessments will help move Basins forward. <br />• The letter sent from the three Front Range Basin Roundtables, to look at common <br />technical platform, needs to be acted on. <br />• Colorado should develop its Compact Entitlement: <br />- Need to have dialogue on how to develop our entitlements in a responsible way. <br />- We need to look at the projects and risks associated with them. <br />- We need to look at how to develop our entitlements in parallel with quantifying <br />the remaining allocation. If we don't do this, we will have more splintering as <br />entities go off and do their own thing. <br />- Role of the state, to address some of the needs of areas where there is not a <br />large water utility like Policy 18. <br />• Arizona is pumping their water into the ground for use when they grow and during <br />drought. State of Colorado needs to take a similar leadership type position with a <br />project. <br />• IBCC Role could be a broader based citizen group to bring to the CWCB Board <br />policy issues. <br />2 <br />I:\INTERBASIN COMPACT COMMITTEEWISIONS FOR COLORADO WATER SUPPLY FUTURE\RESPONSES TO VISIONING AND MARCH MEETING\IBCC REPRESENTATIVE COMMENTS.DOC