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<br />Hl~h Line ;'llp~'nntendt'nt Dan
<br />Hennchs '><Iy" tho:- three.war leas<: \nll
<br />pOlmnally dry.up ,IO.)ut ")b pet1.:enl ~~llh<:
<br />n.)l1l' ;K~S lrng.atd tw the L,In;ll The
<br />res! ,\111 tt"mam In full elr pam,ll pre1duc-
<br />t!(In In add1tlon, f.UlTIt'TS haw the ~'puon
<br />("If leas1l1::;alle'r run I.lftht'lrdTl.ll share"
<br />'Its ,me o! Ith1"':: lh1l1~~ what" the
<br />sun and moon Jnd the stars lmt'd up and
<br />e,.erybod;.- came- ,1W,1: twm th~' l:ible wah
<br />what they needed "'l}'S .-\urm.l Dlrt"cwr
<br />of GuI1Ui.'S Pl'ter Bmnl')
<br />Aurora \l.1yor Paul Tauer ,11'>1-' prabcd
<br />the a~rt"ement that he :>a.ys d...monstI,ltl:"
<br />ho\\ eLtle;;. .md ;l~m.:ul1url' ..:an \\I'rk
<br />tog.ether "We all wlll-brmer!'. small
<br />CI.mmunllles. m the :\rkJn5.1."- \'alley ,md
<br />,.1.,urora resldents,- say" Tauer.
<br />High Lme L;m,ll Prt'sldent ..,tan Fddi.'
<br />expre;.......d SImIlar but more C,lutwu~
<br />optmllsm ''It will keep lhe w:l\er nghts
<br />m the valley and somt:' of the ~'oun~ guy~
<br />on the bnd. whu::h we need,- he "-JYs -At
<br />le;bl it keeps the wokes away \\t:'tl'
<br />getting a 101 of pressure to ,;ell and I'm
<br />ag;nnsl thal," J.dds Fedde. whoSt' famlly
<br />ha:. fJmled near Fllwler lor more than ,1
<br />century. "I don't want 10 it'a"e elthu, but
<br />liS a IN better than selling.~
<br />Bnngmg wgl"lher thl. details of the
<br />lease arran~ement took m,lrt' than two
<br />years It requlrt"d c(lIlv1l1cing state bw-
<br />makers in 2001 10 appmYe lcgl<,lauon
<br />allo.....ing cilit's 10 negotiate shorHt"nn
<br />leases of water, rather Ih..n outright pur-
<br />cha5Cs This was the first tlmc the statt"
<br />had ever passed any WOller-lease legIsla-
<br />tion of thIS kind according to Bmncr
<br />To make sure that other organiZol!lOnS
<br />in\'olH'd in regmnal water management
<br />would not oppo,>c thl' deal. 111 the fall
<br />of 2003 the interested panIcs sat down
<br />\\ith tht.' Southeastern Colorado Water
<br />Conser\'ancy DIstrict to come t\) J.n
<br />agreement on the brger imphcal10ns of
<br />the transfer,
<br />The resulting agrecment With
<br />Southeastern prohIbited Aurora from
<br />purchasing or pennanently transfemng
<br />addilional water OUI of the Arkan:>J.s
<br />Valley for 40 years. At the samc tlme, It
<br />acknowledged Auroras nght III lease a
<br />tOlal of up to }45.200 acre-Iet"t dunng
<br />that period. Accordmg to Bmney, "What
<br />II did was put to rest 20 rears of water
<br />wars. It was a ,'el)" constructi\.e agreement
<br />for all of us. ~ It also paYed the way for the
<br />
<br />fin.1!J:allon ,If tnt' Hl~h Lme it'ax'
<br />It".l:-.ed water WIll l'k" dt"h\'.:feJ
<br />lht(lu~h l'xl'h,mge .lgreo.'menb \\Ith
<br />the Bute,lu ..-,[ Redamalll'n alid thl'
<br />nty l'[ rUt"bk~ It l~ held m Twm L1kt'~
<br />Resa\'OIL db..:hargeJ l(l thl. (ltt'r(' Pump
<br />."l.HIl'" Jnd then dIreCTed III the Spmnt'y
<br />\Iountam Rt"xrYOlr
<br />AUT('lra leased water (wm 152 Hl~h
<br />Lml' sh,\rt"hl'lders. eHI'CII\'er,' lakIng .;.vOle
<br />,~,,2l1l1 adCS Out of pwdu~ti(ln. Binne~'
<br />notes th;ll d~>tIbll' that numbt.'r wanted tt'
<br />p.UlKlpal.... but ~lluld nl't due to limits on
<br />h(l\\' much W.lter Glll he 1l10\'ed.
<br />These nl'\\ guys tlamIas) arc R'any
<br />5tTUgghng:' c;mal comlY.!n)" pl1?sldl'nt J-eJdl'
<br />coll~t.d~'" \\ 'hill' S7 rer..:ent of the ~lurc-
<br />holdrr:-. wted ft)r tht' byl.1w changt's nt'\:6-
<br />;;..uy w pemlltthe lea'.l'~, he douhb Inlftt'"l
<br />wIluld haw bt."Cn 0.\1 great if (l\.~p pncC'5
<br />were octter He belie"e-<; tb.11 unan,IIllIY
<br />CIlmhined \\lth ..-kprcs..;,cd nop pnces m.1de
<br />Llk' lease Jltracti\'t' to tUlTIers thl;. y~'ar
<br />The city P,lld S5.2~O ,1 share, WIth
<br />mdl\"ldu.!l payments rangmg fwm S2.lX)O
<br />tl,S2(N.Ol)O :\cCllrdmg to .:anal supenn-
<br />tt"ndcnt Henm'hs, that is aboul tnpk thl'
<br /><l!1lI'um most famIers nmld have expClh:d
<br />to nl"t peraLre In a ,I;(....xl yt"Jr
<br />And its also a (<llr deal for Aurora,
<br />J(wrding Il' Bmney Desperate to fill liS
<br />r(,SCf\'OlrS depleled by (In-gOIng drought.
<br />tht' city plans to financc the lease WIth ;1
<br />surch.uge of 68 cems per l.l11)o gallons of
<br />".aler used Doug Kemper. Auroras man-
<br />ager of water resoun:es. says they h\l['C to
<br />negotiate additional ka,;cs WiTh tht" High
<br />LlIle in the future as well.
<br />Yet e\"en with this new Temporary
<br />.ldditlon to Aurora's water portfolio.
<br />Bmney IS connnced that tht" drought
<br />ot1ll\"lOk remains gnm. \\'lth the High
<br />Ltne water mcreasing I\uroras reservoir
<br />storage by perhaps 5 to 6 per({~nt. Bmney
<br />still estimates that thIS ye;lr reservoirs will
<br />fill to no more Ihan 60 percent-the Inel
<br />abo\'c which mandalory watering rcs{ric~
<br />tl\~ns could be hfted
<br />Beyond all the contracts and agree.
<br />ments thM bmd and protect them. both
<br />camps concur that th~' lemporary agree.
<br />ment also requires a leap of W>(.xl falth
<br />somewhat ;Ikin to leasmg a new car. Thq.
<br />can kick the tires. but conhdence win
<br />come only after seeing how it runs But for
<br />now they.'re content to at least he tr.1\"Cling
<br />together III a promtsmg new dlTeCllonJ
<br />
<br />HEAOWATERS - SUMMER 2004
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<br />'" Ifs one of those thint-.TS
<br />\\"here the sun ami 111()()fl amI
<br />the stars lined up and cH.:ry-
<br />bod\ C':.um: a\\"~l\ from the
<br />r"bl~ \\ith "h"r rl;e\ ncubt. ."
<br />
<br />Peter Binl1t:\. .-\urnr:.l
<br />I )irecror of l'tiliric..:s
<br />
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<br />.. It \\.ill keep rhe ""rer
<br />righrs in rhe \."licI "nd
<br />some of the young hTJ.IYs on
<br />rhe I""d. \\hieh "e need. "
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<br />- Sun Fcdde. Pn,:sidcnr.
<br />Illgh Line Canal
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