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attaching conditions to state assistance for the construction or enhancement of water infrastructure. State Water Pro;ect: Some have suggested that state government play a more active role in facilitating the development of our compact entitlements as the need for larger water supplies for the Front Range materializes. Some have even suggested that Colorado develop a "State Water Project," as was built in California. I don't know if this is a viable idea, but we should not be afraid of discussing ideas like this. Cooperation with Aaricultural Water Users: We may also want to explore ways to min~ize ~pacts to rural Colorado as Front Range municipalities purchase or appropriate water resources for trans-basin diversion. For example, in response to the proposal to transfer water from the Fort Lyon Canal in the Arkansas River Valley, I asked the Water Conservation Board to take a hard look at the dry-year lease or interruptible supply arrangements. I am fully supportive of their careful examination of these options since we want to minimize adverse impacts to our agricultural economy and communities. A s~ilar alternative might be for the state to promote an experimental land fallowing program similar to the one Southern California is undertaking. At noon, you will hear about this program which will allow California farmers using irrigation water to set aside up to 25 percent of their productive lands in order to make additional water resources available from the Colorado River for municipal and industrial uses in Los Angeles. Perhaps a short-term experiment of this nature would be worthwhile in Colorado as well. Enhanced Information System: We might also consider increasing the ability of our state agencies to coordinate water resources data, information management systems, and decision support systems. This might facilitate the analysis of a wide variety of proposed actions and their impacts on water rights, compact obligations, instream flows, and the environment. Assuming these systems would be available to all interested parties, the engineering and legal costs related to water resource projects could be reduced substantially. Also, access to better information might help us develop consensus for those projects that opt~ize the use of water and have the least impact on the environment. CONCLUSION At my request the Departments of Natural Resources and Local Affairs have contracted for a study on options for Front Range water supplies. That draft study will be described for you in just a few hours. Essentially, it proposes a more detailed investigation of a comprehensive system for water resource management throughQut the Front Range urban corridor. If we decide that this alternative is the 7