BOARD00073

• Board Meeting Date: 9/16/1949
• Description: Minutes and Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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r51

. Plan for J:evelopment of Recreation and Fish and Hildlife Features of
The Colorado-Big Thompson Project. The Director regorted tha~ a bill introduced
in the Congress for the purpose of authorizing a plan for the development and
operation of fish and wildlife and recreational features of the Colorado-Big
Thompson Project had been passed by both the House of Representatiyes and the Sen-
ate and is now in conference conunittee. He further explained .that he had been be-
'fore the Public Lands Conunittee of the House and urged its passage; and he said
that the bill had been supported by the. Bureau of Reclamation.

Kiowa-Bijou Area, Colorado. The Director reported that farmers living in
the Kiowa-Bigjou drainage area of Colorado had appealed to the office of the
Colorado Water Conservation Board for aid in developing a program for the control
of flash' floods and excessive erosion of land in their area. The Director had
attended meetings with this group of farmers, and the Board staff aided in the
preparation of a report coverine; the Kiowa-,Bijou situation. He further explained
that this report was used in the presentation of the matter at a meeting of the
Mfssburi Basin Inter-Agency Committee which was held in July at Loveland, Colorado.
A program designed to take care of conditions such as those which prevail in the
. Kiowa-Bijou area, is included in a report of the Department of Agriculture which
will soon be presented to Congress. This report covers the activities of the De-
partment of Agriculture in the integrated plan of deyelopment for the Missouri
Basin. Both the Army Engineers and the Department of Agriculture, he said, had
assured the Director and representatives of the local interests that a proposal
for small retardation da~s would be giyen due consideration, it being generally
recognized that a solution would not come within the activities of the Army Engi-
neers, but probably would haye to be worked out by the Department of Agriculture
through the authorization by the Congress of the Department of Agriculture's plan
coyering land and water programs for the Missouri Basin. The Department of Agri-
culture has promised to giye the Kiowa-Bijou problem high priority for attention
when its report plan is approved !3-nd authorized by t))e Congress.

Pine River Extension and Florida Projects Reports. The Director stated
that he had held meetings with the Southwestern Colorado Conservancy District Board
and with local interests for the consideration of reports, of Region 4, Bureau of
Reclamation, covering the'proposed Pine River Extension and Florida Projects near
Durango, Colorado; and he explained that official State comments were under pre-
paration fdr the consideration 0 fthe fuard.

Laramie River. The Director reported that meadowland water users in
the Laramie River Basin were anxious that conferences be initiated with State
officials of Wyoming to ascertain whether an agreement could be made for modifica-
tion of the United States Supreme Court decree on the Laramie .Riyer. He explained
that thi's entailed some arrangement whereby the meadowland water users would be
granted an increase in the use of water in consideration for the State of Colorado
agreeing to limit exportations of water from the basin. It appears that the re~urn
flow from the use of water on Colorado meadowlands within the basin is from 85 to
90 per cent of the amount diverted to such lands; that the benefit of such return
flows accrue to the advantage of Wyoming water users dOlmstream; and that an in-
crease in exportation of water from the basin would materially reduce the benefit
of these return flows to Wyoming water users. It also is eyident that in the
absence of a modification of the United States Supreme Court decree, there is
nothing under the State law to prevent exporters in the vicinity of Kort Collins,
Colorado, from buying up water rights within the basin and using such -water outside
of the b",-sin, and thus reducing the quantities of water available to Wyoming. The