Colorado Struggles to Define Rules for Recreational Water Use

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Colorado Struggles to Define Rules for Recreational Water Use Page 1 of 3 National Quick News NYT Front Pacie Arts Business Health International National New York Region Obituaries Politics Science Sports Technology Weather Corrections Special: AIDS at 20 Editorials / Op -Ed Readers' Opinions C ku ;Y Automobiles Books Cartoons Crossword /Games Job Market Living Magazine Movies Photos Real Estate Travel Week in Review Special: Summer Living July 5, 2001 Colorado Struggles to Define Rules for Recreational Water Use By THE NEW YORK TIMES OLDEN, Colo., June 30 — With the snow melted and tumbling down the Rocky Mountains in rivers and creeks here, the kayaks, rafts and canoes have come out just in time for growing legal battles over who controls Colorado's waterways and how they should be used. In one controversy, towns along rivers that are popular with tourists have asked state water courts, which allocate water rights, to guarantee enough flow for boaters. But state officials, and towns upstream, have objected, saying such rulings would impede development and even limit the water available for homes, industries and farms. file: / /C: \WINDOWS\ Temporary %20Internet %20Files\ Colorado %20Struggles %20to %20Define° 7/6/01 Kevin Moloney for The New York Times Jason Srnirnow of Denver kayaking through Clear Creek in Golden, Colo., where the city fought to guarantee enough flow for boaters. The City of Golden recently won a ruling in water court that entitled it to use 1,000 cubic feet — more than 600,000 gallons — of Clear Creek every second Boston.com from May to July to keep kayakers bobbing in the municipal Clear Creek College Times Whitewater Park, a nationally known course. Learning Network New York Today NYT Store In a parched land where ranchers, farmers, industrialists and developers have ` fought pitched battles over precious water, the ruling was one of the first to Archives acknowledge the increasing importance of recreational water use and its E -Cards & More Help Center economic impact. Media Kit NYT Mobile Our Advertisers "Recreation is king in terms of the economic base for this state," said Glenn NEWSPAPER Porzak, a lawyer who represented Golden. "It's the primary industry, the Home Delivery primary lifestyle reason that people live in this state or come to visit this file: / /C: \WINDOWS\ Temporary %20Internet %20Files\ Colorado %20Struggles %20to %20Define° 7/6/01 Kevin Moloney for The New York Times Jason Srnirnow of Denver kayaking through Clear Creek in Golden, Colo., where the city fought to guarantee enough flow for boaters.