BOARD00281

• Board Meeting Date: 9/21/1998
• Description: Colorado River Basin Issues - Upper Colorado River Commissioner's Report - Increasing Colorado's Stored Water
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Senator Ben Nighthorse Carn ell and Congressman Scott McInnis are working to
transfer the Vallccito Reservoir to tit Pine River Irrigation District. This transfer will put
Colorado into the forefront ofwa states which are working to aoquire title and control
over some of the most valuable sto d water in the west. The United States Bureau of
Reclamation has offered to transfer ti to its facilities to those parties who demonstrate an
intf,lfOst and an ability to manage thci resources consiltent with federal and state law,
The Colorado Water Coneerv 'on Board should prepare and implement a progmm
to uBiet Irrigll1ion and M&I entities w are poiled to accept transfm !Tom the United States
Bureau of Reolamation, The Con tion Board, through legislative amendment or other
authority. shouldpJ:OVide tinu1cial an technical assistance to encourage Colorado entities
to acquire from the federal uable and well-maintained storage IUId distribution
facilities.

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Vice PrellidentAl Gore..s fhis 1995 effort to reinvent government, propoecd
that Bureau ofRcclamation water and delivery fiwilities be transferred to non.federal
ownership, For the last two and a half . several districts - including ones in Idaho and
New Mexico, and the Col1bran District n Colorado - unsuccessfully tried to develop a model

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