Laserfiche WebLink
11 <br />1 SEC. 3. WATER RIGHTS. <br />2 (a) FINDINGS. —(1) Since virtually all of the lands <br />3 designated as wilderness by this Act lie at the headwaters <br />4 of streams and rivers that arise on those lands, the desig- <br />5 nation of these lands as wilderness poses few, if any, con - <br />6 flicts with existing water users in view of the provisions <br />7 of this Act, and the land management agencies can protect <br />8 these wilderness lands and their water - related resources <br />9 without asserting either implied or express reserved water <br />10 rights. In addition, the Congress finds that these particu- <br />11 lar headquarters areas are not appropriate for new water <br />12 projects; <br />13 (2) While the Piedra Wilderness Area is located <br />14 downstream of numerous State - granted conditional and <br />15 absolute water rights, the Forest Service can adequately <br />16 protect the water - related resources of this wilderness area <br />17 by working in coordination with the Colorado Water Con - <br />18 servation Board, which administers the nation's leading <br />19 instream flow protection program and which has agreed <br />20 by contract with the Secretary of Agriculture to protect <br />21 and. enforce instream flow filings established pursuant to <br />22 the provisions of 37- 92- 102(3) of the Colorado Revised <br />23 Statutes by the Colorado Water Court for Division 7; and <br />24 (3) the water - related values of the existing Platte <br />25 River Wilderness Area will be adequately protected by the <br />26 terms of the equitable apportionment decree that the Unit- <br />S 10291S <br />