BOARD01106

• Board Meeting Date: 2/3/1962
• Description: Minutes
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

I

than ever before in our history. There
was a time, not too long ago, when the
effectiveness of this Water Board -- whose
obligation it is under the law to make
the decisions and set the policies for the
State of Colorado -- their opportunity to
deal with water problems were inhibited a
great deal by the fact that we had never
sufficiently appropriated enough money from
the legislature to give them the necessary
means and equipment to do their job.

We are in a very unique position as
a state insofar as our water matters are
concerned because all the water that is
generated in this state flows out and no
water flows into the state from any other
state except for the Green River in the
northwestern part of our state which flows
in and makes a little circle and flows out
again. So we are the most heavily compacted
state of any state in the United States.

In all the states that surround us
and all the states that are down the river
from us have a real vital interest in this
water as do we. And I say this is a delicate
subject because I don't think anybody can
pick a more delicate subject to talk about
or to work on than this matter of water
because those of us who live in this country
that is cursed with this disease of aridity
know what it is to be without water and we
know what it means to be heavily compacted
and have to share our water with other down-
stream users.

I

Over the years perhaps we haven't been
too careful about how we obligated ourselves
to deliver our water to our downstream
neighbors. Looking at this from a hindsight
position and looking back at it, we can see
a great many mistakes that we have made over
the years and perhaps those who obligated
us at the time -- and I am sure they were
highly motivated to.do the right thing --
but water is something that we don't have