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Last modified
7/14/2009 5:02:31 PM
Creation date
5/22/2009 12:57:02 PM
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UCREFRP
UCREFRP Catalog Number
7921
Author
Trembly, T. L. and G. A. Gould.
Title
Opportunities To Protect Instream Flows In Colorado And Wyoming.
USFW Year
1987.
USFW - Doc Type
Biological Report 87(10),
Copyright Material
NO
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<br />The legislature's intent is quite clear that these appropriations <br />are to protect and preserve the natural habitat and that the decrees <br />confirming them award priorities which are superior to the rights of <br />those who may 1 ater appropri ate. Otherwi Se upstream appropri at ions <br />could later be made, the stream dried up, and the whole purpose of <br />the legislation destroyed. <br /> <br />In confirmation of this point, the court adopted the language of the water <br />court: <br /> <br />There was no evidence that these. appropriations resulted in any <br />people of the State of Colorado being deprived of the beneficial use <br />of water. Until such time as a person is in fact deprived of the <br />beneficial use of available water because of these appropriations <br />the alleged harm is purely speculative and must be rejected [supra, <br />at 575J. <br /> <br />Thus, this question has been reserved for future consideration. <br /> <br />The third issue, whether "S.B.97 is unconstitutionally vague and makes an <br />impermissible delegation of legislative authority to the Water Board," was <br />easily dismissed. Over objections by the Districts, the Court determined that <br />the General ~ssembly has established "what job must be done" with sufficient <br />clarity. It has also answered "who must do it," since it is specifically the <br />Colorado Water Board that is authorized to appropriate water to accomplish the <br />legislature1s purpose. It has sufficiently described the scope of the Colorado <br />Water Board's authority [supra, at 577J. <br /> <br />The Court further determined that it was sufficient that the Colorado <br />Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation (DPOR) could base its conclusion and <br />recommendations for parks and recreation purposes on the basis of extensive <br />reports done by the Division of Wildlife (DOW). <br /> <br />The fourth issue, that "the Water Conservation Board failed to establish <br />the quantity of water necessary to .preserve the natural environment to a <br />reasonable degree' ," was also dismissed. The Court determined that the appro- <br />priation of the minimum flows necessary to preserve certain fish species also <br />woul d suffi ce to ma i nta in the rest of the natural envi ronment. Thi s deter- <br />mination was based on the Colorado Water Board's considerations including <br />review of DOWs reports and DPORls comments. The Districts were unable to <br />show that the Colorado Water Board's conclusion was unfounded or arbitrary <br />[supra, at 578J. <br /> <br />As previously mentioned in the discussion under issue two, above, at least <br />one concern was not resolved in the case, that being whether the State may, by <br />virtue of the minimum streamflow, deprive holders of consumptive use decrees <br />of the actual beneficial consumptive use of water (S. Balcomb, Water Attorney, <br />Delaney and Balcomb, Glenwood Springs, CO; letter dated 31 January 1986). <br />Several water interests believe that the statute can be construed such that an <br />instream flow appropriation may not defeat a beneficial consumptive use, even <br /> <br />17 <br /> <br />~ <br />
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