BOARD01541 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

. January 24, 2006 Colorado's fundamental water problem Southern California has been growing for thirty years on Colorado's unused legal share of the Colorado River. Meanwhile, Colorado has been drying up its farms and river environments for explosive Front Range growth. Local, state, and federal leaders are well aware of Colorado's fundamental water problem. However, no leader has had the courage to correct Colorado's self-destructive political barriers. California water planners are confident time is on their side. They know Colorado is politieally divided into two warring territorial factions. The western territory generates about 85 % of the state's water and runoffs. The eastern territory has about 85% of the state's population, farms, and growth. If not soon corrected, these growing water imbalances will soon permanently harm Colorado's environmental and economic future. . Although not openly discussed, Colorado signaled its de facto water surrender to California in 1992. Colorado fired its State Engineer and Colorado Water Conservation Board Director on the same Black Tuesday, for undisclosed reasons. On that day, it became obvious to local, state, and federal water planners that Colorado did not have the vision and politieal will to store its vast unused legal share ofthe Colorado River for future statewide drought and growth needs. Colorado is the headwater state that provides most of the renewable water used throughout the Southwestern Region. Black Tuesday greatly intensified the speculative, high cost race between eompeting Front Range utilities to dry up East Slope farms and river environments. The current dry up proposals by Aurora and Colorado Springs are good examples. Colorado's two famous Western water leaders would turn over in their graves, if they knew Colorado is sacrificing its water, farms, and river environments for California's growth. Delphus Carpenter thought he was guaranteeing Colorado's economic and environmental future, when he negotiated Colorado's annual 3.52 million acre feet share of the 1922 Colorado River Compact. However, federal Consumptive Uses and Losses Reports clearly indicate Colorado has been using only about 2.1 miIIion acre feet over the last thirty years. A large portion of Colorado's Compact losses are from its untapped Gunnison Branch of the Colorado River. Colorado's great Congressman Wayne Aspinall and Congress authorized the Bureau of Reclamation's Aspinall Reservoirs and marketable Aspinall Pool in 1956. The primary intent was to help Colorado develop 300,000 acre feet of its unused Colorado River Compact entitlements. The Bureau constructed its Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal river regulating reservoirs during the early 1960s, as authorized by Congress. Unfortunately, Colorado has never developed the Bureau's dedicated Aspinall Pool for up stream local and statewide needs. Wayne Aspinall's vision for protecting Colorado's water future is still pending.