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<br />PREFACE <br /> <br />This handbook will help citizens learn about the intricacies of Colorado water <br />law and define for them the role of water engineers, The author is George Vranesh, <br />a natural resources attorney, mining engineer, and author of a three-volume text, <br />Colorado Water Law. <br /> <br />This is an in-depth handbook designed to better prepare the public to <br />participate in community and state decisions regarding water. Many citizens are <br />already involved; the handbook can serve as a further reference, A general overview <br />is available in the Colorado League of Women Voter's publication, Colorado Water. <br /> <br />This handbook has been specifically prepared for participants of the Colorado <br />Endowment for the Humanities project "Colorado Water: The Next 100 Years," a <br />series of programs and discussions being held during 1990 in the state's seven water <br />divisions, <br /> <br />The public programs will address past, current, and future use of water in <br />Colorado as the use relates to cultural values, historical development, and current law, <br />In discussion, participants will focus on the spirit of the laws of the future, Choices <br />and options regarding future use of surface water and groundwater, implications of <br />long-range weather patterns, and population growth projections will also be subject <br />to discussion, <br /> <br />New environmental guidelines (e,g" the Clean Water Act) being administered <br />by the federal government through the V,S, Environmental Protection Agency, are <br />already influencing current Colorado water law. These new requirements, combined <br />with projected increases in demands for water during the next century, indicate that <br />legal changes regarding water are inevitable, <br /> <br />Colorado water law is unique and some other states have modeled their laws <br />after Colorado's, It is important to note that states' water laws vary considerably <br />throughout the southwest. <br /> <br />Public interest and involvement has never been so important to the lives of <br />future generations, The programs are designed to reach a variety of citizens, <br />including those who are just beginning to understand water policies and to be <br />interested in the future of water in Colorado, As a result of participating in the <br />programs, it is hoped that more Coloradans will become involved in local, regional, <br />state, and interstate water decisions, <br /> <br />Barbara Preskorn <br />Westminster, Colorado <br />December 1989 <br /> <br />1 <br />