BOARD00962

• Board Meeting Date: 11/10/1953
• Description: Minutes
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

281

I

On behalf of the rural electric cooperatives of
Colorado, I write this letter to the Colorado
Water Conservation Board, urging that they take
all possible steps to increase the availability
of hydro power in this state, that can be used
in this state by all users of electricity --
rural, urban and industrial. Most sincerely,
Isl H. Vance Austin, Manager, Colorado State
Association of REA Cooperatives, 443 Common-
wealth Building, Denver 2, Colorado."

Mr. Bailey called for a short recess at Mr. Dutcher's
reque st .

I

On being called to order, Mr. Dutcher stated that
they had quite a conference with the people in Western
Colorado and they are vitally concerned about the Cure-
canti Reservoir. To go back just for a minute, they feel
that when they were able to get together and resolve
their differences in Colorado and when the Colorado Water
Conservation Board approved their action, their views
should be given consideration at this time, in view of the
fact that the 940,000 acre-feet reservoir is not feasible
under the Circular A-47. However, the people in Western
Colorado feel this way about it - that perhaps we could be
able to bring into the picture certain benefits, such as
domestic use of water so that it might qualify under th~t
Circular; but even though it does not qualify under the
Circular of the Bureau of Budget, the cause is not en-
tirely lost because there is always a possibility that
the ~ituation might be changed. They have tried to con-
sider this thing from every angle possible, yet they al-
ways come back to this conclusion: Curecanti is necessary
for storage on the Gunnison; the Board had previously given
its approval; and the Western Slope interests had recon-
ciled their differences. Therefore, they did not want to
embarrass the members of the Board or our representative
on the Upper"Colorado River Compact COllltnission. They
would like a definite commitment from the Board; that the
Curecanti project be recommended by the Colorado Water
Conservation Board in the first phase of developments;
that if the Board saw fit to take that kind of action,
to see if we could not qualify under Circular A-47 or
to get the regulations changed. Now if we could have
that kind of expression from the members of this Board,
I think that the differences that exist right now could
easily be ironed out.

Mr. Bailey asked if that contemplated a restudy.

. Mr. Dutcher said they felt unless we have some kind
of study of the situation, that we won't be getting any
storage on the Gunnison at all. There still might be a
possibility of including certain benefits that will
throw this thing over the h~~p. The thing they would