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<br />
<br />Profile: Public service driving force for Wells' participation
<br />
<br />Before becoming a member of the eWeB, attomeyPatti Wells
<br />admits she had only a basic understanding of the Instr earn
<br />Flo.:..wprogram. BUL [haL ch"lfiged quickly and she has corne l......
<br />believe the Program is an important pan of the C\"feB mandate.
<br />vVdis is well-known .and II2SpecLed among environmenLalisLS
<br />and water developers. She began her water-related careen'l.'ith the
<br />Environmental Defense Fund before joining the City and County of
<br />Denver as Deputy City ALlorney and later as City Attorney. Por the
<br />past cightyear~, Wells has been the head of the Legal Division of
<br />Denver 'Vater, where she supervises nine .1LLOrneys and deals wiLh
<br />issues ranging from employment and real estate to water rights and
<br />natural resource regulations. Wells has been a member of the CV\i CB
<br />for the pasL flve years. represenLing Lhe Cily and CounLy of Denver.
<br />The C\VCB has an important role as the state's water planning
<br />agency, Wells says. The Board is involved with the usage, conserva-
<br />don. preservation and control (flood) (lone of Colorado's most val-
<br />ued resources. These are "all the ways that human beings relate to
<br />\.Vater," she corflfflenLs.
<br />One oithe highlights oiher wa ter career has been her involve-
<br />ment in efforts to recovcr endangcred spccics in thc Uppcr Colorado
<br />Biver and PlaLk lliver basins, Vrhkh she characlerh.es as "frustrating
<br />and interesting at the same time. ... Hopefully thc effort is produc-
<br />Live." The C\VCB's struggle lo quanLity dnd appropriate insttearn
<br />flows in the lS-Mile Reach of the Colorado River. for example. "was
<br />worthwhile and important," according to Wells, even though the
<br />board ulLimaLely wiLhdrew iLS applications.
<br />vVells does not believe that appropriating instream flows for the
<br />urban reaches o( Lhe SouLhPlatte River is praCLkal "AdrninisLering
<br />an instream flcw right is not the way to go in an over-appropriated
<br />stream \\-1th over 2,000 priorities," shc says. "Cooperation among
<br />users Lo enhance the h."1w-fl,.:"w channd on lhe Soulh PlaLle "..,ill be
<br />more effective than appropriating an instream flow right." Currently,
<br />Denver '^later is acquiring gTavel pits along the river and has entered
<br />into water delivery agreements with some water users in order to
<br />maintain streamflows of150 cfs through the urban corridor of the
<br />
<br />
<br />South Platte River (at least during boating
<br />season). "Of course, Denver'V\i ater cannot
<br />deliver waLer during dry years. bm nonethe-
<br />less, these operational modifications help
<br />improve Lhe SouLh Platte River stream-
<br />flows," Vlells says. The instream flowpr0-
<br />gram is very important to the preservation
<br />ofCoh."1radl....'s nahlral envirOllrn.enl. bUl "iL is
<br />not a panacea."
<br />"Depending on Lhe SLream, an instream
<br />flow right does not necessarily give you
<br />water; it gives you a water right," she says.
<br />Iler involvemenl wilh the CvVCB began Vrhen she realL:~.ed Lhat
<br />Denver plays a big role in the state's water picture. ""ells brings a
<br />strong knowledge offederal regulatory issues to the C'V\iCB, in addi-
<br />tion to insight of wa ter issues in the Denver m.etropolitan area. She
<br />likcs public service and is "committed to do the right thing."
<br />"Persondlly, I like Lhal the CWCB n-..ernbers come il-om different
<br />parts of the state and have difter-ent occupations," ""ells says oithe
<br />board's composition. "'It has given me the oppor tunity to learn about
<br />issues around the slaLe," she nOles, adding: ''The cweB is lhe haven
<br />ofreasonablcness and cooperation."
<br />Supply is Lhe mOSL criLical wHer issue in her bdsin, Wells
<br />believes. "Hanging on to the water supply we have in the face offed-
<br />eral regulations, and maintaining a coopcr ative effort with the 'Vest
<br />Slope are very criLkal in lhe Denver meLro area." Developing supply
<br />in the face of today's "economic and environmental realities" can be
<br />very dullenging, she says. Sale Drinking Water Act requirements are
<br />another major challenge tl'r the Denver area water suppliers, Wells
<br />adds.
<br />Wells - who has been mdrried for 12 years to lviarkIIoskin, a
<br />principal and partner at Cocalias & Hoskin Architects - has two
<br />sons, Cody, 10, and Alex, 9. They keep her busy shuttling them to
<br />baseball and soccer practke and other activities. She also enjo ys exer-
<br />cising and taking pre-dawn walks with the family dog. $
<br />
<br />
<br />age annual yield in several waLersheds.
<br />Colorado water uscrs bcgan promot-
<br />ing a major argumen L Lo,) counLer the (eder;;.1
<br />efforts. They claimed that the state already
<br />had an active instream flow protection pro-
<br />gTam lhaL could easily assimilaLe the federal
<br />program. In w(J(Jort of this argument, the
<br />Colorado Legislature amended the instream
<br />fl0W st8_tute with Sentl_te Bill 91 in 1986 to
<br />accommodate federal instream flow needs.
<br />The new statute required LhaL the C'VCB-
<br />in addition to requesting ISF recommenda-
<br />tion from state agencics - also request rec-
<br />ommendaLions Ll"om the UniLed Slates
<br />Departmcnt of Agriculture and Department
<br />
<br />ISF history.
<br />
<br />continued from page 1
<br />
<br />conccrns over the federal claim to instream
<br />fiows in 198.3 when the U.S. Pish and
<br />Wildlife Service announced its policy
<br />regarding endangered species protection in
<br />the Upper Colorado !liver B.sin. The Fish
<br />.1nd \ivil..--lli-fP Spn.'ir"p'~ n,,1ir"v rlp-fln,--.rl mini_
<br />____ _ . u_~~~~ ~ _~ . _~_ ~ r ~u~.' _~u____ u__o__
<br />
<br />mum flo,)w levels needed La proLect Lhe
<br />endangered species habitat. Shortly after,
<br />the feder .11 governmcnt quantified its
<br />reserved righl claims lo insLream o.ows in
<br />scveral national forests in Colorado. The
<br />claims amounLed La more Lhan halfLhe aver-
<br />
<br />ofInlerh....r.
<br />In addition to inviting fcderal part i (-
<br />P "tion in the stat t'S instream tJoo,J,. pro g am
<br />SB 91 also pro,ided the CWCB with the
<br />authority to enter into cooperati,,--c agre (-
<br />ments with other water users tl.... pre s eve the
<br />nIT u al environment. The CWCB was autho-
<br />rized to acquire wat e, water rights, or inter-
<br />f'st in w;ltf>rfrom ;lm;-nf>fSOn Of f'ntitv. This
<br />-----------------------;c--------------;------
<br />
<br />p DvLsion allowed the CWCB to acquire
<br />senior water rights (or instream tJow uses. ~
<br />
<br />Ed/fOES Nole The j}c'.rl io;.:.'lIe #iII.b.f!?I1J.f!?/1i
<br />c'fh')-FIS.I}lddc' f?F iJ}t.ih-1i:IlMl.. h~ dppn:>piblc'
<br />plivdle lj}.~"'/lc}'U)) flows.
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