Western Slope Fears Future Trickling Away: The Denver Post

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Page 5 of 6 Sanitation District. The utility has approved 211 new single - family equivalents, or SFEs, since 1997, for a 2 percent increase. A single - family equivalent is the amount of water that would be used in a year by a typical family. Winter Park Water and Sanitation officials have approved 80 SFEs since 2000 for an overall increase of 5 percent. The town recently denied a development proposal because it could not guarantee water for it. "There's a disconnect between water providers and the elected officials who make land -use decisions," said Taylor Hawes, a water expert with the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments. "They need to understand that our futures are tied together." But as the drought wears on, new demands for Western Slope water have apparently frayed the earlier sense of east -west cooperation that arose in 2002. "For the first few years, we were all in this together," Hawes said. "Now every drop matters." But officials worry that rivers which run permanently low in summer will damage the sport- fishing industry, which generates $460 million statewide each year. Future transmountain diversions could eliminate rafting and kayaking in more areas, concentrating existing demand to fewer places during a shorter season, Western Slope rafting outfitters say. New diversions could eat into water now used for snowmaking, which is critical for drought years and early- season skiing. The crunch is already forcing Winter Park officials to decide whether they want to leave a little water in the Fraser River or allocate it all for growth. "Without a major new reservoir, we are in trouble," Teverbaugh said. Under an exchange agreement, Denver Water would draw from the new reservoir. In return, the utility would then let more water get past its noose of diversions around the Fraser headwaters and put water back in the river to increase Winter Park's supply. Local officials thought they'd found the perfect site near the town of Tabernash on Ranch Creek. But, the discovery of 8 acres of fens, a rare type of wetland, has all but scuttled those plans. Officials are now seeking a waiver from the Army Corps of Engineers. In the meantime, they're evaluating combinations of smaller projects - whose price tag will be higher. "It was a body blow," Little said. Some, however, would rather the Front Range invest in keeping Western Slope rivers wet rather than providing water for more local roofs. "If we want to grow, we should figure out how to provide water for ourselves," said Kurt Klancke, president of the East Grand Water Quality Board. "But if we want environmental flows, we should get help from everyone in the state. http: / /www.denverpost.comlcdalarticle /print /0, 1674 ,36 %7E23447 %7E2335775,00.html 8/16/2004