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<br />LeSSOIlS fro 1/1 History:
<br />HOW DROUGHT SHAPES COLORADO
<br />WATER LAW AND POLICY
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<br />Bv JII~lllt' Gr..~ H,'b1....}'
<br />
<br />
<br />J, "".nn, ,mJ ..""",],,<,,,,] en.
<br />"1 ~knu~' ~hows, extended droughts
<br />~Hl' !rcqucnt nSltors tll the R,~ck}"
<br />'1,'unl.lln Tl'gh.m In the ~hl)rl term.
<br />c.~loradJn" ;lTC (I'nlrontl'd with \'lthacd
<br />CWP'" Jnd dry slTC;lll1 channds '1"1.'1111 lh.'
<br />l(ln~ tam, dwught's loIsllng Il'g;K)' IS wm.
<br />L,'n 10 the hlSwry "f C,1It1T;ld\)"" \1;ller l.lw~
<br />,mUmSlllU!I,)llS
<br />
<br />:>;1"\\ SITTI I 11<' I' ,'ARm CII\llll
<br />LLi,' In Cd\'raJ,,~ ;lnd cn.lr,mnWlll
<br />qUickly n.','csSU.ll(.J ,1 m'\\' xl I'l 1:ms
<br />g,'\"emmg wateT us,' In 1~72 lh.'
<br />Tant,lflal Supreme C,'un lll<l\"ed
<br />(oloraJ,l waItT 1.1\\ In .In ,'nurely n<:w
<br />dlTn:tl,ln. all.1wmg Jl\CrSllllh Ir,'m lh.'
<br />n\'a and "lnstrudllln ,,1 clilLhc;;, ,kWS"
<br />puhlto.: Jnd pn\".II,' Lmd \\JIl'T III
<br />("l(lrad,l Ot:Glm,' ,I puhhl rC~lUf(e 3\";111.
<br />ahlc f\lr ust' b~ :ill pn\".l!c mdl\ldual.. .md
<br />puhlte ;lgcn.:lC~
<br />
<br />RI (1....'lUIU' ER'
<br />The \TJr~ 1 :""'1 ,\.1l.l\)'5 wl\nc,,:>.'d
<br />multi-year crd...~ (lj "<.'\','rt: In'u~h! In
<br />m.my Jrt'3~ of th.' \\'c<.! In "'-'ll!h\w~ICrn
<br />C(>I.'rJd.,. ltNcl-I'h12 'JW (,'llr (.lll-..:.U.
<br />lIW Y.',US wah k",~ tn,m ~\' pl'f(,'m .'1
<br />awra,!;e prC.:lpllJll"Il_ fJ,-cd wllh all
<br />unreliahle water ~urply, the \\"t'St~ tu~dy
<br />a~3nan 54.Xlt't\. ~lruAAlt'd t\l rem.un Pf\l.
<br />duCtl\"l' In IH"'i and IS<)\). ColNad\,
<br />:tdoPIt'd Its hr~1 "tatult'S al1\,wmg
<br />cxchanges "f waler .lnd changes of waler
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />nghb tw!wn:1l agnnlltuT;.l1 munICipal
<br />Jnd (llh.'f us..'rs
<br />To pronh'll' .ollllnth:d s.:llh..mcnt
<br />,md dc\'dopnwnl oj lhc 1.-eSl.'Tn l"1l11t'd
<br />Stall's. C,'ngrt'ss pass,'d Ih.' !Q02
<br />Rcdamaw>n .-k\. ne:lllng lhc Bureau "I
<br />RCl:J.lmaIHln roday the Bureau of
<br />R.:dam;HI,>n b b..~t known hn lb .:,'n.
<br />strU\:llllO (11 n1<'r.: Ihan tll'l' J.lms_
<br />P"wl'f pl;lllts_ .md 1.';ITlJls ,IlWSS Ih,' 17
<br />weSlcrnslal6
<br />One \,f Ih,' ftrsl ,lUthl,n;:ed Bure;m
<br />pTllJt'..:!s In C.,I('r;ld" was lh,' l,unllls"ll
<br />(t,'n\..\mp.lhgr,') 1'f\lICd In \\CSlCrn
<br />(\'!,'rad,' Th,' Lfll'.'mp;lhgre PWJ.'d.
<br />"pt'"lll'd 1Il Iql1'-l, IlllW Itngat,,~ ',ome
<br />11,1,(11.\) ,l,n'~ 1r.'1ll \h'lllro~ l.\) [)(']U
<br />Th... l;unm<,on Tunn...! m;ldc In... Ph'll'(l
<br />pO""'lhll' dlh'nm~ (,unfl1~)!l RIWT walcr
<br />thwu!=.h 5t< mtl...~ III ~\lhd r...x'k mil' I.hr
<br />Ln...,'mpahgrc Val1cy
<br />
<br />Rt'll....f\ 11.,..... ;'\U\ DI \1 ".....0 \Vu, R
<br />';'1 f'f't\ PRI'JfCT.... 10 ~l'l'lll1 1III
<br />P\l1( III () \\'''1
<br />In Odl'ner 1429, the \\'dll 'I\rrct
<br />,r.l:'h I.lUn-.:ht'd th... n.lUon into thc "\lr,,1
<br />d.'pre:,:-.I.,n III :\Illl'm:.m tllSlory Funha
<br />ml,'nslhln~ the economic crisis. Ihe m.l~l
<br />\\IJe:>pr.',lI.l .md longesl Lt:,lm~ drought
<br />m COIClr.1dl'S rttordcd hlSh1ry dr.l.o+,'d
<br />ull (n.'m 1931..1-1 1./4(\, famously known a:;
<br />thc "Dust Bowl Years 5.:\'ere drou~t
<br />p.:akl"dm 19Hand 1935.lulmlll.umgln
<br />1939 with ,me l,f Ihe dnesl rears In
<br />
<br />Dthl,[,HIll B,lcol
<br />C,un[l,I<13J I'h,'h'
<br />,-,'urtO\','/Ir.,'\\,'..rc"l
<br />111'["" ("Il...Il,'nl'/lh,'
<br />Do;,... I>;..}>!!, un,,,,,.
<br />
<br />rcmrdcd hlswry. CSp.:CI.llly along Iho:."
<br />I-wnt R.1fl~\'
<br />By \Ian.:h 1'-133. Jl"spl.'fatc It> holslcr
<br />Ihl' 1011lmg cnllwmy, franklin D
<br />Ro,""c\'dl ";lllt-d .1 spcl..:lal ~CSSlOn of
<br />C"l[lgre~... ltl Jewll'p ;l ,.alCS of programs
<br />kn<.lwn .b th.' "'\;t'W Dcal :\" p,m of
<br />thcsc CU<.lrts, C<.)!l,o:rc~s g;IH' tht: newly"
<br />.'r,'.lt\.d Publk \\','rks .-\dmmlstrallon
<br />~ '\ 3 hllllPl1 h,r c,'nSllUdllln "f pub!1\:
<br />\\\.'rk" proJ"l1S, lndudmg rt:~'rn11rs
<br />B~ [<.)'37 C.,I,'r.l..!l' '';',:nat,lr Aka B
<br />Adams and LOl1gr.~:-m;ln Ed T,lyll1r hclpcd
<br />xcure rcdamJ.lh'l1 lundmg lwm th~
<br />Im,'n,'r DqMnmcm Il' ~l)lhtrult. .lffi.lll,o:
<br />.Jlhct'). Ihe Col,'raJo.Blg ThlJmpslln (CB--
<br />l' PWJl'll l1m' \,1 thl' h~t l,f liS kmd III
<br />pro\ldc both agncuhural .md mlllll(lpal
<br />w.lIer. IhlS pfllJcn lappt:d Ih\' headwaters
<br />of Ihc elllot.ld., RIver by l'lllTlng, a h\,ll'
<br />thn.1u~h thc Contm\'lllal [)I\,td,' Pre~:nlly.
<br />thc C-BT PmJct:t ddl\cr,. nlllrc Ihan
<br />2lX,-(\,\' .lnc.f.'\'1 l,l \\Jl.'f ca(h year to
<br />n.,nheastcm Colorado f,'r ,lgnculturnl.
<br />mUlllnpal. and Industn;lllL'<~_ wuh Grecn
<br />",'\lmam RescrYOIr pW\'1dmg S(lme
<br />Il\).(XX' ;Kft:-fecl of water .mnua]]y fllf
<br />\\CSlcm ,1upe ust'
<br />
<br />CRE....T10... Of Loc.u ""D S'\Jl\\lDf
<br />W....nR .\1"".'<iB'E'T .-\<iE"'ClI\
<br />The Dust Bowl years m(ltl\<lted the
<br />Colorado 5.tate Le~lSlalUre 10 find better
<br />wa~"S to m.ma~ wall:r locally The 1937
<br />C,m5t'n;alll'Y WW crealed a nctwork l"f
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<br />COLORADO F"OUNDATlON F"OR WATER EDUCATION
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