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MONDAY, JUNE 22. 1992 4 --- - -- Reporter- Herald > ::: c = ~ ~ E "'~ E ~ g i o -.. -= 0 'Yo-:;:; U ~f~~ -a c o..2! rn lIS s"-:::< 4 ,~ .!!1"~5 - t:~c_ 0 " ,,- fa ~-=.!! ~ <!l:~ .. = o.-3~C3 6J 0 :I ~ ~~t = 1 > -: " '&.~ c "i ' .. :z:: :>. ". cS~ia c C .... 2: ~i;~: J ",.. " I t: <..~2 . :!io:! .. ~Hi~~ ::!.. a: 2 I'll -":. Q. 6J - 'i(J~=-:8 en ~~.:a~ ... .. u.c.. . & " ~ ~"itO ~ " " .. 't: C c ". " .. .. 0 0 .... S :e .s - ... .. 3: ~ 0; -" ,. "'i a. '=! c 0 ~ ~"l5~ ] 6J CI.I !~ ~ ! - ~.,wa.. - lac QJ ~~C5l~ CD ~ g <6 :> < ..g;gw;.- a.'~l:e~ !! =2 Se l~~iii = . . . CD -~aij~ 'E=~;c'" 0 " ! " ~ ~ioi:i ",c!a:s= Guest Opinion State needs better way of managing its water By DAVE MILLER At the April Colorado Water Conservation Board meeting, I tried to make the point that our Colorado River Compact usage was dedining for long term benefit of lower basin states. In response, the board's staff advised the board tha t West Slope consumption was holding steady. After the meet- ing, I was asked if I had any information to prove my point. First, the CWCB's unpub- lished 1981 Colorado Water Study shows West Slope ir- rigated acreage declined 15 percent between 1959 to 1979. This study was not released to the public because of inter- basin political pressure. In ad. dition, an analysis of U.S. Cen- sus of Agriculture data shows older West Slope irrigated areas declined another 10 per- cent from 1978 to 1987. The un- tapped Gmmison Basin bad the greatest loss with a 21 percent drop during this last 10 year reporting period. Most of these losses are caused by salt build- up from many years of deep flood irrigation. The only acre- age gains were in new areas where the last of the federally funded irrigation projects were constructed. In addition to loss of land, new irrigation technol- ogy is gradually reducing Colo- rado's compact consumption. The untapped Gunnison is now consuming only 17 percent of native flow. Although the mega-trends point to more tourism and less fanning, over 98 percent of West Slope water consumption is still used for irrigation. The inevitable decline of irrigated land, coupled with water sav- ing technology, means more and more West Slope water will flow un~sed to faster growing population centers in California and Arizona. Be- cause of these trends and Western use-it-or-Iose-it doc- trines, there are few Western water experts who belie-,e Col- orado can realisticallv recover these losses at some future point in time. After it is too late, future Colorado generations will be asking why current Colorado leaders did not take aggressive action to answer the following basic questions: Why did Col<r rado continue to dry up its farms in the over appropriated South Platte and Arkansas Ba- sins, while purposely allowing loss of its surplus Colorado River Compact entitlements? Why did Colorado allow deple- tion of its non-renewa ble ground water reserves with ex- pensive, energy consuming, pumping operations, while los- ing its clean, renewable, low cost, compact waters to lower basin growth? Why did Col<r rado not develop a headwater storage program to protect its environment and economy on both slopes from the damaging multi-year drought cycles? Why did Calorado allow dry up of its Ogallala Aquifer in Eastern Calorado, without de- veloping any long range re- placement plan? Why did Collr rado not develop a baCKUp water storage plan in case it lost its continuing legal battles with sister states? Why was Colorado the only Western state that did not de- velop an inter-basin data base and planning process to guide its water future? Why was Col- orado the only state that relied on a divisive court system for its critical water management decisions? Unlortunately, Colorado's unique water management system does not allow state agencies to develop consensus building inter-basin strategies to achieve long range state- wide objectives. Dave Miller, writer of today's guest editorial, is a private water developer from Palmer Lake. His company is Natural Energy Resources.