We Need Leadership: Pueblo Chieftain

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P- Agt,4A Thd Pueblo Chieftain; Pueblo, ON , YlF sday,-Octobet 3,2001 Cbirftain FRANK S. HOAG, General Manager, Publlisher, President -1904 -1963 FRANK S. HOAG, JR., Chairman, Publisher, President =1931 -1989 ROBERT H: RAWLINGS PubG fi "d EdItQr We need. leadersm- IRECTOR.S OF the Southeastern Colorado Water i' Conservancy District have scheduled a vote Thursday on an intergovernmental, agreement with Aurora over the storage in Lake Pueblo. of water from the proposed sale of Rocky Ford Ditcl shares .. . Pueblo Reservoir was built by the Bureau of Reclama tion a s part of the= Fryn as. Pouch ley not for PA. ues outside this basin. Interestingly, the Norten} Colo ado ConervnoyfIsct hastvoted ot tt id iuva any out -of basYr e to.-uae an"olat 81sh7ci's facihtzei or.waf r. & why should the `S>;C VVCD =agree to ,allow an out -of, i 'distn'Ot entity :,to use Fry -Ark facilities? The District has argued annually that Reclamatiotf does riot 'have legal authority to allow Aurora's storage .in Lake Pueblo, and one -time payment of $200 an acre -foot. The going price for storage around Colorado is $1,500 to $5,000 per acre - foot — per year. i Meanwhile, Aurora is getting $200 an acre -foot for some of its effluent used by a northern. Colorado power i plant.. Looks like Southern Colorado is being played for rubes by Aurora. - In fact, considering the fact that in some areas of the state the purchase price of water can range -up to $10,000 or $15,000 per acre -foot, the $3,400 per acre -foot of gross payment by Aurora is a pittance — and after the farmers pay expenses associated with the sale they are estimated to b.e due only $2,000 to $2,500 per acre -foot. As noted here previously; Aurora is required in its orig- znal Rocky Ford Ditch water purchase to pursue due. gene .iri retsirig all of .its waterxo this c�the Colo- radt;! "River Basin. Yet, it has done "virtually nothing to improve its performance since that purchase was completed. The transfer of Rocky Ford Ditch water , and Aurora's use of storage space in Lake Pueblo damage. any. water - banking program that may be put together by the State Engineer. Yet, water banking ='may be a,route for farmers to use to get value of their Water rights without selling it out of basin. And approval of the intergovernmental . agree meat at. this ti e' ell nitnates a:big bargauimgi' pithe4SECV�CD has �% tstl�ts - point, there is no legally biat ` mechamsm ,;for migattng the d }re effects, -of this pfopo.ed .sale. T �tT xs�sale kere, consummated, it would mean a total of $14xillloi u%.lost income in Otefo County: And property tax losses would surpass $50;000 a year', Yet, Aurora has offered only peanuts as way of helping the county. - , Right now, the Conservancy District is the only entity in the Arkansas Valley that can provide: leadership in see- ing that these concerns 'are met. Yet, the intergovernmen- tal agreement on the docket Thursday .6 .% wipe away the. district's ability to provide that leadership..- - There : is -absolutely no reason for the dlst W9 board to approve this agreement until it reconsiders all of the rami- fications it represents. A delay now is in order and is the right thing to do — for all of the people in the Southeast- ern Colorado Water Conservancy District. That's the leadership the people expect and deserve.