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<br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br />. <br /> <br />VAIL DAILY <br /> <br />Monday,February 16,2004 <br /> <br />Getting water ~cross~ontinentaIDivide withoutruin~~~~e <br />Western Slope IS key Issue . <br /> <br />Cliff Thompson <br />February 16, 2004 <br /> <br />Every year for the last two decades, the water-rich Western I <br />Slope has embarked on a Quixotic quest. <br /> <br />It has attempted to create state legislation ensuring its <br />rivers would not be harmed by water diversions to the arid <br />and thirsty Front Range, and each year, it has failed <br />because it is out-voted by the legislators representing the <br />more populous metropolitan areas. <br /> <br />It has Chris Treece ofthe Colorado River Water <br />Conservation District referring to his efforts supporting <br />legislation in mythologic tenns. <br /> <br />"I feel like Sisyphus rolling the rock," said Treece. "I keep <br />pushing the rock up the hill." <br /> <br />Unlike Sisyphus' rock, however, water from the Western <br />Slope will in the future be rolling up over the hill of the <br />Continental Divide and down to Front Range cities who <br />hold huge water rights across the Western Slope. <br /> <br />So far this year there has been only one legislative attempt <br />to address the state's water problems. House Bill I 040 <br />would require trans-basin water diversion that move water <br />from one river to another, but do not harm water use in the <br />source basin, Treece said. The proposed legislation <br />encourages a cooperation rather than lawsuits, he. said. <br /> <br />Legislation has succumbed to simple arithmetic. Front. <br />Range legislators outnumber Western Slope legislators 89 <br />to II, and typically have failed to support efforts similar to <br />House Bill 1040 because they would make water-supply <br />projects more expensive or might impair the ability of the <br />Front Range to develop future projects. I <br /> <br />How to address the future removal of water from the I . .. . . <br />Western to Eastern Slope was the topic ofa monthly Waterwise Wednesday seminar in Avon Wednesday. If <br />featured Treece; water lawyer David Hallford of Glenwood Springs; and Summit County Commissioner Tom <br />Long. The program was presented by the Eagle River Watershed Council. <br /> <br />, <br />.. <br />