BOARD01106

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

I

here is an example of the democratic
approach this Water Board has taken to
the solution to these problems. A
decision shouldn't be made concerning
water and water resources in your area
when you are not fully advised of the
elements that go into making up that
decision. So I want to congratulate
th~m and I want to congratulate state
engineer Whitten, Resources Department
and other state departments for this kind
of cooperation in helping us work out these
problems.

I

I had the happy occasion, some few years
ago, to be at a meeting very similar to this
and that was a meeting when we were deciding
whether or not the study should be made in
the Closed Basin. We had an open meeting
and most all the water users and various
organizations were represented at that
meeting and we had a decision to make at
that time as to whether or not we were going
to allow a $25,000 matching appropriation
to lapse or whether we were going to match
that up with an equal amount from the Bureau
of Reclamation to do some preliminary work
on this matter of the water in the Closed
Basin. At that time there was a great deal
of opposition -- and I can readily understand
any opposition that is generated when we
start talking about the diversions of water,
no matter where we divert them, or what
the problem is. It is a very serious matter.
I can understand the hesitancy of people
to do anything which, in years to come,
may prove detrimental to their own interests
on a long range basis. And I share that
feeling with you. Because, certainly, in
the position that I occupy, which is a high
position in the state, I don't want history
to record that I was responsible for
jeopardizing any of the resources in this
state. Quite to the contrary. I hope history
will record that we have added to the re-
source development program and that we have
made a contribution to the general progress