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New water appointee will oppose transfers Page 1 of 1 <br /> The Pueblo Chieftain Online <br /> Select file then print to print this article. <br /> Publish Date: April , 2002 <br /> New water appointee will oppose transfers <br /> By MARGIE WOOD <br /> The Pueblo ch i e. J l a i n <br /> Bill Long of Las Animas, one of three new members of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District board appointed this week, <br /> said Tuesday he will oppose allowing the district to accommodate water interests outside the Arkansas Valley..' <br /> All three new appointees will replace longtime members who were seeking new terms on the board of the district, which is in a period of <br /> ferment. <br /> For the last two years, the board has been caught in controversy over agricultural water sales and speculation. At the same time, it is <br /> seeking congressional authorization that will make some changes in the way the Fryingpan - Arkansas project operates, and engaged in a <br /> side skirmish with the City of Pueblo's request for an in- stream recreational diversion to create a kayak course on the Arkansas River near <br /> Downtown Pueblo. <br /> Long replaces Tom Pointon, a Bent County farmer- rancher who has been on the conservancy board since 1989. The fact that Long is not an <br /> owner of agricultural water rights is a departure from the custom of the board, he noted. <br /> "Generally, in our part of the state, (conservancy board members) have been farm -ranch people. The board probably still needs to have <br /> members who are water owners, but there should also be people representing the taxpayers in the district who don't own water," he said. <br /> He considers his first obligation on the board to represent the taxpayers of Bent County and other people in the district "And beyond that I <br /> have a real desire to protect the water we have in the Southeast district" <br /> He said he is "definitely opposed to accommodating interests from outside the Southeast district, and Aurora would be in that category - or <br /> any other interests outside the district" who are attempting to acquire water to take it out of the Arkansas basin. <br /> Aurora has bought about half the Rocky Ford Ditch shares and is attempting to complete purchase of most of the remaining shares. An <br /> issue in the reauthorization of the Fry-Ark project is language which would permit Aurora to have long -term storage contracts in Pueblo <br /> Reservoir. <br /> "I don't believe the district was set up to accommodate people from outside the district," Long said. "I will try very hard to work with all <br /> people within the district" <br /> Other new board members are Wallace Stealey of Pueblo, replacing Ralph Adkins; and Lou Mellini of Colorado Springs, replacing David <br /> Saxton. Robert Schrader of Colorado Springs and Denzel Goodwin of Fremont County were reappointed. <br /> 01996 -2002 The pueblo Chieftain Online <br /> http: / /www. chieftain .com / print /archive /2002/apr /17 /ni5.htm 04/18/2002 <br />