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11T G BRIE A'S <br />Words and Water Mix at the Confluence of the Uncompahgre and Gunnison Rivers <br />in Delta, Colorado <br />A one -day conference at the Heddles Center in Delta, <br />Colorado, explored the changes taking place in water <br />management as a result of drought and a growing popu- <br />lation in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Colorado. <br />Using the theme "Beyond a Shadow of a Drought ", 80 <br />people examined the conflicts between growing urban <br />uses of water and traditional agricultural uses. The <br />targeted audience was the leaders (boards, city councils, <br />county commissioners, manag- <br />ers) of the organizations that <br />provide water to meet the of <br />all water users in the rapidly <br />growing Montrose, Delta, Grand <br />Junction area of Colorado. <br />In a morning session (entitled: <br />"Who Invited Them ? "), Marc <br />Catlin, with the Umcompahgre <br />Water Users Association, and <br />Dick Proctor, with the Grand <br />District, presented the keynote talk in which he noted the <br />uncertainty associated with scientifically predicting future <br />water supplies in the Colorado River Basin. <br />Martin Howell, with the City of Greeley, helped the attend- <br />ees compare the urban - agricultural interface concerns with <br />those on the eastern slope. While there are a number of <br />similarities, there are critical differences. For example, the <br />Don Crabtree (USBR) uses apples <br />to demonstrate the limited amount <br />of water in the Colorado River <br />and the process of sharing that <br />Valley Water Users Associa- water. <br />tion discussed the impacts of <br />population growth. Dick noted <br />that droughts come and go, but it does not seem that <br />people come and go, they just come! This is unlike the <br />boom and bust cycle Colorado has often experienced <br />in the past. Marc noted that <br />you can't deal with change if <br />you aren't willing to change. <br />Both noted the amount of <br />time they must devote to is- <br />sues beyond their main job <br />- delivering water. The issues <br />include selenium concerns, <br />Endangered Species Act <br />implementation, government <br />regulations, easement dis- <br />putes, development reviews, <br />and Homeowner Associa- <br />tions. <br />David Merritt, Colorado <br />River Water Conservation <br />geological setting, in what the USGS classifie <br />as `salt desert'. When the `desert' is irrigated <br />selenium may be a factor in return flows to <br />rivers in the region. Ken Leib, USGS, dis- <br />cussed these concerns using pictures to high- <br />light the salt migration when new urban and <br />`lifestyle' land uses are established. <br />Karen Rademacher, with the Ditch and Res- <br />ervoir Company Alliance (DARCA) wrapped <br />up the day's water dialogue with suggestions <br />on how to minimize economic damages to <br />traditional irrigation organizations experi- <br />encing rapid urbanization. For more infor- <br />mation about DARCA, please refer to http: <br />Hwww.darca.org/. <br />The meeting organizing committee was led by Dan Crab- <br />tree and Mike Baker, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Greg <br />Trainor, City of Grand Junction; Aung Hla, CSU Coopera- <br />tive Extension; Rita Crumpton, Orchard Mesa Irrigation <br />District; and Peter Roessmann, Colorado River Water <br />Conservation District. <br />David Merritt (Colo- <br />rado River Water <br />Conservancy District) <br />provides the keynote <br />talk. <br />20 » » ».. »._ » »....._ .. »,,. ..... »._. ».._..._ » »._ »....._ .. »..,.. _.... »........._» _._. ».,. _..__ ........._ <br />Left: Mike Baker <br />(USBR) sets up Pow - <br />erPoint equipment <br />for Karen Radem- <br />acher (DARCA). <br />