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<br />\\1despread recognnwn ,md pJaudns from
<br />those concerned \\1th W,Ilt'r management
<br />10 the and WeSI
<br />"To Coloradcl bdongs the credit of
<br />hanng been the rusI stale to t::n.llI J (ode
<br />L,r laws for the public admln1stratwn of
<br />streams. and the~ law., have dlreclly
<br />1Ol1ul.'nct'J Inore pt','ple than tho.,l' o!
<br />any commonwealth, pwcLllmnJ Elwo"d
<br />\kJ.d the nJ.ffit'sake of Lake \kad who
<br />served <is In aSSIstant CoINad" Stat,'
<br />Engmea, and .ll~l hoJl'd the Bureau 01
<br />R...damatlOn lrom 1l;l14 unul 1m, death
<br />In 1936
<br />Despltl' thIS pr,'gr...s~ Col,Had,l walt'T
<br />commISSIOners rt'm;llnt'd In .10 Jwkward
<br />hmbo dunng the I.'arly years Although
<br />Jpp(llnted hy Iht' g.,wcm,lr, WJler wm-
<br />miSSIOners wat' nomlllat,'d and pind
<br />by county commISSIOners, whICh cre-
<br />.Hed the poten!!Jl lor pohllcal patmnage
<br />.\Od undermined theIr credIbility It was
<br />n,'L until the 19h1)s that (OmmlSSlllners
<br />became "ffKlal state employees
<br />B.lek In IH79, Ihe first cmp "l WJtCT
<br />commlSSIOnn., e,ITOed all of S'S .1 d,l}"
<br />Jnd were .llkm'ed ll.l work no ffi,m: thJn
<br />::30 dJ.Ys a Yt"ar Thl.'ir .IS,>l.,I.lOt., tared nol
<br />much betll'T at ~) ,I d.lv for ,I m,lXlmum
<br />,If 25 Jays Early on, m.my lomnllSSI(lners
<br />WI.'Tl.' pJ.ld Imh- ,lOll' a Yl.'ar
<br />The nsk "f \'I"I,'nll' \LaS alw;,y., d,N:
<br />at h.lnd, 1t'lL1 \\'ater IS a .....nnu~ ,md S\lmc-
<br />Ilm\.'s ndan~lu" bu"mess ';hot~ WeTt' hred
<br />.md Wl'Jp''"s brandl"hl"d In l~~M the
<br />B<Julda Cr\.'ek WJh.'r ~'ommbSI,'nl'f Wf<)t~.
<br />m hiS k'g b,lOk o! ""veral threat<. w hl<.
<br />hfl', n~)nng th.\! ht' patfl.llled at mght to
<br />.'nsurl.' h..-J.dj:.ltes n:matnt'd dco~d
<br />In an"ther mst,lOce dunn~ the sum.
<br />ma ,,1 I~\.)h_ some ..Il' 1.1nncr~ w"k
<br />contrnlllf thl' Hand\" Du.-h h,'adl'ate ne,n
<br />Berthoud, .l(('usm~ the kx.ll W,lter (om-
<br />nllS~I,ltler l'l dln'nll1~ w.u..-r mill .I cana!
<br />thai -;l'twd l.nml,mds he o\\-ned :\ hute
<br />lala_ the bmwrs hung tht' (OmmISSKlI1t'r
<br />1Il dfigy and dW\T Jway thr .1<."ISlam
<br />lommlSSloner ,II gunp..ltnt Den\'t'r new,,-
<br />p.lpers ISju...d speCIal ed1ll0ns with b"ld
<br />headllllrs d~'danng It an annl.'d rebdhon
<br />There was t.Ilk ,If (,lllln", ,'UI thr state
<br />mihll:!, hut further (n"IS waj :m:n..-d
<br />when the Ie"'JI deputy shenlf was Imally
<br />Jble to nl.'gollJ.te a (ompwnusc
<br />That ~ nl't to Sly mtluary !on:e has
<br />nt'\'er ocen nrCi:~oO,Jry 10 ,hSISt a helea-
<br />guered ,:.'mmISSI,mc:r :\((~1rdmg t..-,
<br />:'tert:el. 1Il 14)'" dunng a ranl(ularly
<br />dry dust btw..l W.lf m th,' :\rbn~lS RtVeT
<br />\:llley, thl' :\.monal Gu.ud W,b .ktuallv
<br />
<br />(ailed out to enfoKe the Rocky Ford Dlt(h
<br />call,," the nver Troops traveled mto the
<br />m,'untalnS to shut dO\\TI Illegal dIversIOns
<br />by JUnior Irngalors
<br />fortunalely_ today's water comnll~-
<br />sloners (an report slgndlcantl~' fewer
<br />heated clashes, as most water usas
<br />r\.'spcu Ihe systt'm and Iht' nghts "f
<br />Ihl.'lf nl.'lghbors
<br />"'Ex(ellent ((lmmlSSloners m the past
<br />haw cstabhshed J gOtxl rappon ';0 there
<br />,Hl.'n'l many nUJor'-(lI1!hcts,-- say" DI\1SWn
<br />1 wall.'r commlSSlOnt'r (;C'orge \'aITa who
<br />admlmsters the GlCht' 1a Poudre R1\"cr out
<br />,I! hiS h,'me m Fon L"ll1Os
<br />But the J(,b 01 \(lday'" commlsswner IS
<br />nllt Just tumm,l? he:tdgJ.tes and momtonng
<br />flumes \luch oi the Job IS deahn~ ""'lth
<br />JXllple "One 01 my mam task;. IS workmg
<br />wah people and resolnng confltct,-- says
<br />Lynne BI;..!er of Ddta, who fur 10 }(',Irs
<br />hJS s...ryed as J DI\"1SlOn 4 WOller l"ommIS-
<br />swner She s;.ud most ddTIl"ulut's an~ with
<br />re~'ently aITI\"ed r,'sIJt'nt~ who d,')nt real-
<br />t:e they ,',m't nt'l"l.'s;.;mly t,lkc wat.:r Ir,lm
<br />the ultches cr,h:;tn~ their prop\.'ny
<br />In many w.,\"~, .1S m-ers ot'(,lme more
<br />ughtly allll\:ated Jl.'lTl.lnds 0n W,l\1.'f l"'I11-
<br />mISSlOn('r~ art' c,mst,tntly mcreJ."mg as
<br />th,'~' SlnlAAlt' Il1 maXlml:e the a\.albolll!)"
<br />c)1 WJter ..... gp0d comml"SlOner needs It)
<br />Ix Jok to Juggk hl~ ,'f her watrr t" mJke
<br />It g,' as lar aj p,'sslble They must he
<br />mum.lId\' bmlh.n With .1 gl\"Cn ;,trl.'am
<br />system., w,lter d\.'mands, Ihe tlmm~ ~,!
<br />runolf. when and whae return flows can
<br />be expeLted
<br />RI\'ers ;md ~Ir...;\m", I111UtUle dally
<br />.lnd ,mnually ,md It takt-s man}' yt'ars
<br />llf tn.ll and error lor ,\ w;ll,'r l,ml-
<br />ml<.SltlOer 10 beCt1mC "Xpl.tll'IlCcd In a
<br />rI\"Cr b:lsm, nott';, DI(k Wcllfe chId (II
<br />w,l1er ;,upply Il)r the Cl,l..lr,ld" OI\'bll'l1
<br />"'! \\';lIet Rl.',>,'urces
<br />-\\'aler lommlS:;lc'ners mu~t att,ls dIp-
<br />k'mJts_ pt:an' offl(as and W.l\l'f profe",.
<br />,;!L'nJ.b Thl.'Y mu:;t bc ,I\'allabll.' 2'" hour~
<br />a day. <;t'wn d.I}"S a we(,k to rl'spond to
<br />reque.,b IN water Cl,mp1elc and ,l((urate
<br />rec-ords must be kept of where thl.'Y ha\"t'
<br />be\.'n wh.,t th\.'y have done. and what they
<br />ob:;erwd, Wolle adds
<br />-It IS ltlcredlbly S(.'phbll(ated,
<br />a.knflwled,i:c~ \loml.' \'ISI,l ateJ w,lter
<br />COmmISjIOOl'r, :;tCL'1.' Bacr \llxkm rt'al-
<br />\lme ~aU~mh sysll'ms at locallons up and
<br />d,)\\TI the ~tTt".lm (:tn tell Baer hO\L much
<br />WJter IS ;l\'allablt' at .my ~Iwn moml'nt
<br />He u,;cs Ihat mfllrmatll'l1 t" mana~e tht'
<br />nver mo"t df1cleI1l1~' whIch can m.lk.. the
<br />
<br />HEADWATERS - SPRING 2004
<br />
<br />
<br />or t!>e Colorado Nmer OiTKJoIs .ll,SSOCIQMn,
<br />nos tiffl'! tlp'ln!,' l1eodgO!es for t~e srate (or
<br />"1{)ret'JOI'!'5{t'(l,rs
<br />
<br />dlf!eren("t' whethrr Irngattlrs get a crop
<br />,'r not
<br />TheIr work em also still be phYSIcally
<br />demandmg, t'spt'cuIly for commiSSIOners
<br />scrnng TUral are<l~ BUt th,u-s perhaps the
<br />pan many like best BIxler jays It'S nln
<br />unwmmon illr her to hike half-an-h,mr
<br />or nwrc III rc.Kh he.ldg,atl.'s n"t a.-cesslbk
<br />by rll.1d She alSl.' IS nm JdwrSt' III cleanng
<br />and burnmg brush
<br />-I'm out there turnlllg h\.';ldgates I'm
<br />..JUL thae In tht' mud, she concedes -rm
<br />prelly much.1n OutJ,'ftlrS pl'rson For me,
<br />lIs.1n Id~';\\ jl,b
<br />And th\.' demands on water Cllm-
<br />mlSSlllners \-,HY greatly Jl.'pendlllg (In
<br />the I(ll,:all' In Ihi: San LUIS \'alley, Bal.'r
<br />~',>tlmates ~,1ml.' ~5 percent "f the water
<br />he aJmllllMers sull gClI.'s to lIldlVlduJ.1
<br />fJrmers Bl.xler d,'als rnmaril)' with llOl'
<br />d,'mIllJnt w.ller llser ~roup, whICh In turn
<br />parl.:!s cout w.lter tclmdlndual u:;.crs .-\.nd
<br />VaIT.lll-hen \h'rks close!\- \\1th mUnlclpal-
<br />llles ("ntlnuously lnlTC'JSlng their shares
<br />(l! the roudre R)Vl't
<br />\'arTa :;aId he enJlly" the tmer,Kllon
<br />with water users and S<.'t'mg that the w;lIet
<br />gt't<. where It bel,ltlp Y~lU haw "-Ornc.
<br />thm", }",lU ~.ln m,lVC' he s..lY,> -It's real
<br />Its n,lt Sl,melhlllj:: mad,' up
<br />But re~,1rdles:; of their dtfferen(es,
<br />there's ,1 (0mmonallly w.1trr commis-
<br />sIOners "hare ln celt'bratlng 125 ~'ears of
<br />dedlCated <.en1tl.'
<br />-w...lm: thl<. ,lob, explams :,teve Bat'r,
<br />water commISSIoner 1I1 the \tonte VIsta
<br />Jrl.'J f,'r 15 \'ear:; and preSident of thl.'
<br />CllloraJo Woller Orrl(tal~ .-\sSOClaItOn -It
<br />bl'cllme;, a Plt".....' llf vou 0
<br />
<br />'9
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