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<br />MR. VANDEMOER: <br /> <br />we will have wasted at the state line in the <br />neighborhood of a million and a half acre-feet <br />of water. In addition, that water created <br />flood damages in excess of $500 million. We <br />had the opportunity years ago through the auth- <br />orization of the Narrows in 1946 and the subse- <br />quent authorization of the Chatfield in 1950 to <br />have eliminated all that damage. Instead of <br />coming up with a $500 million deficit, we would- <br />have had a multi-million dollar credit through <br />the use of that water. The actual facts are <br />that we have wasted about l~ million acre-feet <br />of water since 1965, about an average entire <br />year's flow of the South Platte River. It <br />averages out more than 250,000 acre-feet of <br />water annually that we are wasting at the state <br />line. This is the amount of water roughly <br />equivalent to what the Colorado-Big Thompson <br />project imports from the Colorado River. 250,000 <br />is also roughly equivalent to the amount of water <br />for which Denver has spent a hundred million <br />dollars to import from the western slope. It is <br />incredible that we continue to waste this great <br />volume of water. This is an amount of water <br />which would support a million people for indus- <br />trial and municipal purposes. It would irrigate <br />a good many thousand acres of land. Yet, we <br />have neglected to stop this waste. The Narrows <br />Project is one method of preventing this waste. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />We have projects that have been on the draw- <br />ing board now for a number of years that would <br />have eliminated the flood damages and preserve <br />a lot of our water resources. We are hopeful <br />that at long last we can get the Narrows Project <br />reauthorized. The Gpvernor has taken an active <br />part in promoting the project. I am sure his <br />testimony will carry some weight two weeks from <br />now in the Congress. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Are there any questions on the Narrows?" <br /> <br />"Larry, do you think that '63 date the Ft. <br />Morgan people got just the other day, will that <br />make any difference at all in these hearings?" <br />