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Colorado Press Clipping Service . 1336 Glenarm Place • Denve; CO 80204 303 -571 -5117 • FAX 303 -571 -1803 .Make right call g on water bilk tate- lawmakers should nix a nar- row- minded measure, Senate Bill 62, which could put the brakes on Colo - rado's growing whitewater course indus- try. The legislature should,,however, pass 2ftother proposal, House Bill 1177, which fakes a big - picture view to resolve com- plex water disputes. - -SB 62 stalled Tuesday but comes up for another vote today in the House Agricul- Ofre HB 11 77 passed the Agri - culture and Appropriations committees but hasn't yet passed the full House. Since the late 199os, several Colorado towns have built kayak and canoe courses, t hich are a growing segment of the state's vital tourism business. The towns rigorous- ly followed existing Colorado law by filing their claims in state water court and show- ing that the water would be put to a benefi- cial use. The towns won several court cas- m upholding their rights, including a March 14 Colorado Supreme Court deci- sion that said the state overstepped its au- thority by limiting the amount of water for 4 Gunnison kayak course. Existing law lets communities balance the desire for tour- ism dollitrs with the need for domestic wa- ter use. The situation does not require the heavy hand of legislative interference. - ''But SB 62 would declare thgt recreation — one of the state's most important ind tries — has only second -class status. Since water rights are property rights, the move may violate Colorado's constitution and federal equal - protection guarantees. Such legal questions should be studied depth before the bill goes to the House floor. SB 62 also arbitrarily declares that kayak courses can't claim water rights of, more than 35o cubic feet per second. In a wide stream, that miserly amount would make the course unusable - for example, it's, al most impossible to even paddle a canoe on the`South Platte near Denver when the riv er drops below, 45o cfs. SB 62 thus would' make it impossible for numerous communi- ties along larger rivers to bolster their econ omes by creating whitewater courses. In any case, 35o cfs is the boater's equivalent of 4 bunny slope: slow, ho -hum and unlike- ly O lure tourists. ti4 More reasonable way to address poten- confiicts among water users would be to ave various interest groups negotiate th issues. HB 1177, sponsored by Rep: Josh Pe y, a Grand junction Republican, would do so by setting up "water roundta- bles" to seek cooperative solutions to the state's water needs. Lawmakers should pass the sensible HB n77 but not the puni- tive SB 62. DENVER POST Denver, CO (Denver County) Daily, 301,000 Colorado Press Clipping Service . 1336 Glenarm Place • Denve; CO 80204 303 -571 -5117 • FAX 303 -571 -1803 .Make right call g on water bilk tate- lawmakers should nix a nar- row- minded measure, Senate Bill 62, which could put the brakes on Colo - rado's growing whitewater course indus- try. The legislature should,,however, pass 2ftother proposal, House Bill 1177, which fakes a big - picture view to resolve com- plex water disputes. - -SB 62 stalled Tuesday but comes up for another vote today in the House Agricul- Ofre HB 11 77 passed the Agri - culture and Appropriations committees but hasn't yet passed the full House. Since the late 199os, several Colorado towns have built kayak and canoe courses, t hich are a growing segment of the state's vital tourism business. The towns rigorous- ly followed existing Colorado law by filing their claims in state water court and show- ing that the water would be put to a benefi- cial use. The towns won several court cas- m upholding their rights, including a March 14 Colorado Supreme Court deci- sion that said the state overstepped its au- thority by limiting the amount of water for 4 Gunnison kayak course. Existing law lets communities balance the desire for tour- ism dollitrs with the need for domestic wa- ter use. The situation does not require the heavy hand of legislative interference. - ''But SB 62 would declare thgt recreation — one of the state's most important ind tries — has only second -class status. Since water rights are property rights, the move may violate Colorado's constitution and federal equal - protection guarantees. Such legal questions should be studied depth before the bill goes to the House floor. SB 62 also arbitrarily declares that kayak courses can't claim water rights of, more than 35o cubic feet per second. In a wide stream, that miserly amount would make the course unusable - for example, it's, al most impossible to even paddle a canoe on the`South Platte near Denver when the riv er drops below, 45o cfs. SB 62 thus would' make it impossible for numerous communi- ties along larger rivers to bolster their econ omes by creating whitewater courses. In any case, 35o cfs is the boater's equivalent of 4 bunny slope: slow, ho -hum and unlike- ly O lure tourists. ti4 More reasonable way to address poten- confiicts among water users would be to ave various interest groups negotiate th issues. HB 1177, sponsored by Rep: Josh Pe y, a Grand junction Republican, would do so by setting up "water roundta- bles" to seek cooperative solutions to the state's water needs. Lawmakers should pass the sensible HB n77 but not the puni- tive SB 62.