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Carbondale Valley Journal <br />.+r- or- <br />F-1 <br />Page 1 of 3 <br />Weather <br />Carbondalef CO <br />63 °F /17 °C <br />Clear <br />at 9:30 AM <br />Click for Forecast <br />Sections <br />Home / Front rage <br />News <br />Features <br />Opinions <br />Community <br />Letters <br />Spurts <br />Obituaries <br />Other Papers <br />Aspen Times <br />Citizen Telegram <br />Eagle Valley Enterprise <br />Grand Junction Free <br />Press <br />Leadville Chronicle <br />Post Independent <br />Snowmass Sun <br />Summit Daily News <br />Swift Newspapers, Inc. <br />Vail Daily <br />Vail Trail <br />Classifieds - Subscribe - Contact Us <br />May 25 - June 01, 2006 <br />News <br />Town moves to secure recreation water rights <br />By Gina Guarascio <br />Staff Reporter <br />As recreation accounts for more and more of the state's economy, Color <br />beginning to realize that flowing water has some real economic value. Ci <br />counties are starting to secure water rights, not for agriculture and minis <br />recreational pursuits like rafting, kayaking and fishing. <br />The Recreational In- Channel Diversion, or RICD, has been contentious s <br />like Fort Collins and Golden applied for them in the 1990's claiming that <br />allocated amount of water in a stream is a so- called "beneficial use." As <br />to see the economic benefits of an investment in a whitewater park, it is <br />want to protect that asset by securing water rights. <br />But water rights don't come easy and most communities have been thro <br />and costly legal battles to obtain the rights. <br />A new bill working it's way through the state legislature might not make <br />harder to obtain a RICD, but it could severely limit the scope of the right <br />it to a second class water right, according to opponents. <br />The town of Carbondale is moving ahead to secure a RICD on the Roarir <br />River for its proposed Gateway River Park (GRP), before any of this new <br />becomes law. The law will not be retroactive, so if Carbondale gets it's a <br />in before the bill passes, the water right will be more valuable to the tow <br />The town authorized almost $40,000 for the first phase of the RICD appl <br />week citing the GRP as a high priority for the town. It will likely cost at I( <br />another $40,000 to finish the work for the RICD. <br />Some provisions in Senate Bill (SB) 37, sponsored by Sen. Jim Isgar (D- <br />and Rep. Kathleen Curry (D- Gunnison), would limit the power of a RICD <br />was being debated and passed through the House Agricultural and Natui <br />Resources Committee on Wednesday. <br />Town of Carbondale attorney Mark Hamilton said the bill could "significai <br />constrain" the town in obtaining the water right if it passes and recomm, <br />town move forward with an application. <br />"Recreational water rights should not be treated differently than other w <br />and should not be held to unreasonable and prohibitively costly standarc <br />other water rights do not have to follow," said Kevin Natapow of the Col( <br />Environmental Coalition, a group that is lobbing to change some problen <br />provisions in the bill. <br />"If SB 37 passes, the ability of local governments to acquire and use the <br />rights will be severely diminished. It is unlikely that local leaders will inv <br />http: / /www.valley joumal.com/home.php /home.php ?content= article &article =2462 512612006 <br />