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<br />Excerpts of Luncheon Speech at Colorado
<br />Water Storage Projects Overview. June 13. 1980
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<br />~ONTE PASCOE:
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<br />The Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968
<br />contains very specific language, "The Secretary is
<br />directed to proceed as nearly as practicable with the
<br />construction of ,'the Animas-La Plata, Dolores,
<br />Dallas Creek, West Divide, and San Miguel par-
<br />ticipating federal reclamation projects concurrent-
<br />ly with the construction of the Central Arizona
<br />Project, to the end that such projects shall be
<br />completed not later than the date of the first
<br />delivery of water of said Central Arizona Project.
<br />. . . This language is unambiguous. The Secretary
<br />has not proceeded as nearly as practicable with the
<br />construction of Animas-La Plata, West Divide, and
<br />San Miguel. The Secretary has not done this in part
<br />because the President has refused to permit the
<br />Secretary to proceed with these projects.
<br />It is my understanding that in five or six years the
<br />Central Arizona Project will be in a position to
<br />deliver water. If nothing changes, at that time,
<br />important decisions will be made about legal steps
<br />the State must take. If there are changes, if new
<br />agreements are made, they must be made now. They
<br />must be precise agreements, they must be in
<br />legislation and they must preserve Colorado's
<br />water resources. Only then should the Central
<br />Arizona Project be permitted to divert.
<br />I raise this issue, at this time, several years before
<br />the magic day of delivery of Central Arizona Project
<br />water, so that we can begin discussing a strategy
<br />and perhaps even begin work on a solution to the
<br />impasse.
<br />The Secretary of the Interior has agreed to review
<br />the status of federal water projects in Colorado. In
<br />part he has agreed to this review ,because he
<br />realizes, I'm sure, an obligation under the section
<br />that I just read and also because of the tremendous
<br />energy demands that are being placed on western
<br />Colorado and the impact that this has on western
<br />Colorado water.
<br />I hope, however, that we do not permit a study of
<br />every possible water storage site location in
<br />western Colorado. Twenty-five or thirty years ago
<br />we went through such a study. We know a great deal
<br />about these sites in western Colorado and we must
<br />use the information available to us: If there are
<br />other specific sites that need special study, they
<br />should be brought to the attention of Water and
<br />Power Resources and the State of Colorado as
<br />promptly as possible. . .
<br />. . ' We are at an impasse on several projects the
<br />United States is obligated to build. The obligation
<br />exists without regard to new financing plans,
<br />, studies, or what have you. It is very important that
<br />we tie down loose ends, if there is to be any'
<br />compromise at aU, with legislation and that we
<br />make tough, hard decisions based on the
<br />voluminous information we have collected Over
<br />many years. . .
<br />. . . The temptation for the federal government to
<br />modify the 1968 law to construct storage for energy
<br />
<br />and to then say its 1968 obligation is complete will
<br />be great indeed. We must insist that any sub-
<br />stitutions be truly multi-purpose, for energy,
<br />agriculture, municipal, recreation, wildlife, and
<br />other purposes. . .
<br />. . . At the present time, we receive planning funds
<br />from the )Nater Resources Council if we submit a
<br />plan which provides for comprehensive planning
<br />with respect to intrastate or interstate water
<br />resources, provides for full coordination between
<br />comprehensive water resources planning and other
<br />statewide plann,ing programs, designates a state
<br />agency to administer the program, provides for
<br />reports to the Council, sets forth procedures for
<br />carrying out the plan, and provides for mis-
<br />cellaneous other procedures. The proposed legisla-
<br />tion expands this role by saying that we now have
<br />to provide information, data, and expertise to the
<br />public and private sector, we must coordinate the
<br />state program with local units of government and
<br />federally recognized Indian tribes, we must coor-
<br />dinate state programs with related technical
<br />assistance programs of federal as well as other state
<br />and local agencies, and we must provide for par-
<br />ticipation of the public in the development and
<br />modification and implementation of the program
<br />. . . In addition. . . we must provide for public par-
<br />ticipation or public hearings and a number of other
<br />procedures to go forward with the plan. All of these
<br />may be followed in our state's Plannint" :.c~'~s, but
<br />at some point meeting all the, criteria ' ,!~.a:l up all
<br />of the funds that are allocated under t $ program.
<br />We simply have reached the point where we plan
<br />and plan and plan, but still do not have action on
<br />very vital water concerns. I want you to know that
<br />we are examining very carefully the pending
<br />legislation in the Congress... We are very concerned
<br />about the impact of all of this federalactivity on the
<br />control ultimately of state water rights and water
<br />development in the state. . .
<br />. . . I do not want to underestimaie the encroach-
<br />ment that these continuous changes in legislation
<br />suggest for the traditional control of water rights by
<br />a state. They are significant, they are expanding,
<br />and what .the state must do for these funds is to
<br />dance eveb faster than it has in the past. We do not
<br />want our water resources planning and manage-
<br />ment to be federally funded and vulner",ble as is
<br />water quality, air pollution control. ahd other
<br />programs. "
<br />I am hopeful that the State of Colorado will
<br />continue and strengthen state funding of all aspects
<br />of the management of our water resources. If there
<br />is going to be proper development of Colorado's
<br />water resources without giving away too much to
<br />other states and to the federal government, we will
<br />have to .appropriate from Colorado the money spent
<br />on water resources planning and management
<br />necessary to maintain a sound water resources
<br />planning program.
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