Laserfiche WebLink
WRITTEN TESTIMONY of Alan Berryman before the U.S. House of Representatives <br />Committee on Natural Resources, Water and Power Subcommittee <br />H.R. 1462, Platte River Recovery Implementation Program and Pathfinder <br />Modification Authorization Act <br />April 26, 2007 <br />Madam Chair and Members of the Subcommittee: <br />My name is Alan Berryman. I am Assistant General Manager for the Northern Colorado <br />Water Conservancy District ("Northern Water") in Berthoud, Colorado. Thank you for <br />inviting me to testify before you in support of the Platte River Recovery Implementation <br />Program ("Program") and Pathfinder Modification Authorization Act. The Program is a <br />cooperative, basin-wide solution created to resolve escalating conflicts befinreen water <br />use and endangered species protection that affect federal permitting of both existing <br />and planned irrigation and municipal water supply projects in the Platte River basin, and <br />more specifically in Colorado's South Platte River basin. Resolution of these conflicts is <br />of state interest and important to all those who live and work along Colorado's rapidly <br />growing Front Range. Northern Water is requesting your support for H. R. 1462 to <br />authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in and contribute funding toward the <br />Platte River Recovery Implementation Program for Threatened and Endangered <br />Species in the Central and Lower Platte River basin and to modify the Pathfinder Dam <br />and Reservoir. <br />Northern Water is the beneficiary of water yielded from the Colorado-Big Thompson ("C- <br />BT") Project, which is the largest transmountain water diversion project in Colorado. <br />The C-BT Project annually delivers about 213,000 acre-feet of water to northeastern <br />Colorado as a supplemental water supply to 30 cities and towns and approximately <br />720,000 acres of irrigated farmland in northeastern Colorado. To continue to meet the <br />growing water demand along Colorado's front range, Northern Water is also involved in <br />new regional water planning activities and projects, including the Northern Integrated <br />Supply Project ("NISP") that is currently in the federal permitting process. That