<br />Administering, Managing and Regulating Water
<br />
<br />Trans-mountain Diversions and Basin of Origin Protection
<br />A tr.m5-mountam d,version occurs when water IS exponed from one water-
<br />shed into anolher. \\cst Slope water dl\'cned to points east of the Contmcmal
<br />Dinde supplies man)" Front Range water uses. This Imponed waler is 100 per.
<br />cent consumptl\'e. This means that the water can be reused to extinction, and IS
<br />not requIred to provide return flows. This IS because the law recognizes that no
<br />waler from the di\"erslon \Iril\ ('ver now back to ItS basm of origin.
<br />In the Colorado Rl\'cr BaSin specifically, Colorado statutes reqUire that water
<br />conservancy distncls have basm of ongin pnne(tion plans In plan:- as a condl-
<br />lion for exponmg water from the natural Colorado River Ba.<,m to other areas
<br />of the slale. The General Assembl)" has not extended this reqUirement to other
<br />enllties, such as municipaliut"S, or LO waler appropnated and remO\'ed from
<br />other basins
<br />According to the Slalllle. a basin of origin protecllon plan must include
<br />measures (or thc design, constrtlC(lon, and operation of water exponation facili.
<br />ties, so that present and future beneficial consumpth'e \\,tlter uses will not be
<br />impam'd, nor Increased In C('lst, at the expense of the water users ....;thin the
<br />natural basin
<br />A 1003 statutc prondes for replacement 01 losl tax revenues for up 10 30
<br />years when agncultural water nghts are permanentl)' removed from one county
<br />for use m another county
<br />
<br />
<br />Water Storage
<br />In hiS I Rio.} Rq>tm 0'1 Ihe Lmds ll/Ihr
<br />And R(l;l,'ns. J"lm \\'l'sky PoweJ1 strc<;.~d
<br />the nreessny "I w,lIcr ~1\1rJgr In th.' Wl'st-
<br />an lntled ~tates Hc ft'.ued that cNpor,ltr
<br />nt.mop.l!le:; wtluld nmlrolthc SOlie ,md US<.'
<br />of watl'r unle.." ~(I\"t:mlnent mtCl"n:nt'd on
<br />beh.lll ot the iarmer..
<br />In 19112 Cnngre<;s pas~d Ihe
<br />Rechmlatll'n Au III help Colorad(l .1nd
<br />lh,' (llher wrstem Slates !manu: H."'ooCrYOlrs
<br />Lnd('r a prll\'tSlon ,)Itht'" R('clamalll1n Act.
<br />,111 r,','l;!malllltl pn)jl'clS must ohtaln wal,'r
<br />n~bt.. h.l~d ,'n still,' bw
<br />Faled with requlrt'mt'"nts m Ihe
<br />Redarn.lll'lll All klr k>cal pmJl'lI spo.mSt.n"
<br />III h,'lp fep.1\ .1 po.mwll of pmJell CllSb,
<br />Ihe CllIe'radl' (,enn;!! Assembly .ld"p1,'d
<br />l.lw~ \.:r~;llmg 1fn,c;,1l1lln d1~lnl'ts, water
<br />nlUMT\'all~:\' dlSlnl'ls. and waler l'onSt~r-
<br />valllln dblnlt;. Th,'sc ~n!ll1CS were gl\'cn
<br />,Illth'>nly Ie' l,'ntralt dlrect!y w1\h the L. S
<br />Hurrall of Rcdam.lll.m The (ontr.lClS I,)r
<br />early redarnallon projeCls werr dC\'l'led
<br />alm",,1 enurdy w 1rng.lI10n_ Latcr PfllJ~
<br />,'Cb, like the C:(,I,'r3d,,-E'l1~ Th,'mpSJ..1O .md
<br />rrYIn~p,m-:\rk;m~b IlT,)jetls, ,lls<'l '-t,'r\'cd
<br />",'me mUlllclpal and mdtbln.l1 U"'..~
<br />Thc (nl"r,ld<.).Rlb Th"mpson rroJ~t1
<br />pwndcs up to 240.l\1t1 ,Iln>.fcei (lj water
<br />Jnnuallv f,'r ,,'m,' t'>l.'lt1.0(\1 .!Crcs ,ll larm-
<br />hmJ ,l1ld ll' lllle" ,md \\',ller dbtndS m
<br />.....\cn n,)nt",.blcm Cole'rad" C,'unt1e~ Thc
<br />Frymt;piln-Arkan-S<ls PWJClf supphl's waler
<br />I,' famll'rs .md nlles In th,' Arkans..ls River
<br />B;I~ln dd1\Tnng.m awr,I.l!.l' "f 74,Yt'2 a,rc-
<br />r",'1 "t pr'l]Cct wal,'r i1nmlJ.lly
<br />(lthn ..x,\mplc~ e,f l:- Bureau
<br />"I Rcdam.lll'lll pr"lc'c!" In,'lud,' Ihe
<br />Lnl','mp,lh.l!.rl" Pw!(','[ In the liunm~1n Rt\'n
<br />Ba~m, .Illd thl' Grand \;ll1ev PWtt"Cl whICh
<br />dl\'l'nS Willa Irom the" C,)lor,lJ" Rt\'er near
<br />Grand IllnCl10n Thcs..' l\h) federal projects
<br />currcntly tm.~,ltc ,lppfl>X1m.ltdy I 22.llOl.1
<br />,KfCS m \\CSIl"m (,'lorado
<br />Th.: .-\spm.lll lnll "I the Ce'!,)radl)
<br />Rlwr ";h1rJ~t' Pre'ICC! n,',H (illnmS-t..lfl
<br />hdp_" th,' Cllh'rado Rt\'a upper ha,:;m
<br />sl.ltrs ,C,'!nrad", 'l'W \kXlL(l. l'l,lh. ,md
<br />
<br />20
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<br />CCLO.....OC F"ou...o..."o.... "0" w....[.. EOUC"'T 0..
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