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<br />TRENDS: THE GROWXNG DEBATE <br /> <br />Why do water transfers appear to be more controversial today <br />than in the past? changing uses, evolving values, increasing <br />needs for water, and limits in the amount of water available. are <br />all combining to put considerable stress on our current water <br />management institutions as they attempt to meet the competing <br />demands for water in this last decade of the 20th century. <br /> <br />CHANGING USES <br /> <br />Historically, coloradoans have used water for mining, <br />agricultural, municipal, and industrial activities. Added to <br />this list today are increasing recreational demands, new <br />environmental priorities, and aesthetics. In many cases, these <br />new uses are being debated and regulated nationally by Congress <br />and not locally by the Colorado legislature or local governments. <br /> <br />EVOLVXNG VALUES <br /> <br />For many, agriculture is an inextricable part of the <br />heritage of the West and of Colorado.. Many Coloradoans feel a <br />strong attachment to that heritage, whether or not they ever <br />lived on a farm or ranch. Locally grown produce and open <br />stretches along the highway recede as Colorado's urban areas <br />grow, but both are treasured by urban and rural dwellers alike. <br />A fear of losing the "greenbelt," of which agriculture is a part, <br />is another issue that may not be measured in any cost benefit <br />analysis of water transfers but is an issue policy makers cannot <br />ignore. As a result, market-based tendencies to transfer <br />irrigation water to "higher value" municipal uses generates <br />considerable political concern. <br /> <br />In addition, the option of moving to a small town or city, <br />many of which are sustained by agriculture, is also a part of <br />Colorado's appeal. The economic decline that may result from a <br />large export of water diminishes that option. <br /> <br />Concern for the ecology of western streams is increasing and <br />is being manifested within the current water right system via the <br />concept of "instream flow rights". Furthermore, there is growing <br />concern for the need to maintain peak flows that are associated <br />with reproduction of riparian vegetation and certain species of <br />wildlife. <br /> <br />Enjoyment of the outdoors in Colorado was recently expressed <br />very strongly with passage of Amendment 8. With such amendments, <br />Colorado citizens are expressing their changing values with <br />regards to Colorado's natural treasures. The fact that water is <br />closely interwoven with the outdoors should not be overlooked. <br /> <br />2 <br />