BOARD01982 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Arizena preject was dependent en water a1~ocated to the Upper Basin states. This was admitted repeatedly in the testimony. To justify the preject, the Bureau ef Reclamatien testified that it would not be until the year 2030 when the Upper Basin weu1d need all of its water. That was a very convenient date, because the repayment of the Central Arizena preject was to. be achieved under reclamation law ever a period of fifty years. . By a strange coincidence, when fifty years is added to. the time when water is supposed to. be delivered initially frem the Central Arizena preject (in 1980), the final payment date is the year 2030. We have about a millien acre-feet of water in-Celorade that is not now currently being used, if we accept the Bureau's figures. That's almost a mi11ien feet less that was a1lecated:te'us by the cempacts. Hewev~r, well over two million acre-feet have already been apprepriated in Celo- rade under cenditiona1 decrees. These projects ,we've been talking about here today are depending en those apprepriations for their supply, as are the people of Denver and ethers in Celorade who. have a:strong and legitimate interest in the Celerade River. However, we were faced with the facts of life that protracted centreversy ameng the Colerado River states would net further anyene's interest. On this premise, Colerade agreed to. support the Central Arizena project; provided that sufficient projects were authorized in Ce10rado simultaneeus1y with that preject to. permit us to develep a significant pertien'ef our remaining water a1locatiens. The result was the authorization ef five projects in Colerado. . Hewever, we didn't trust Arizona er anyone else to suppert eur future preject censtructien. We therefere insisted upen a provisien in the act which states that the five Ce1erado prejects sha11.be cemp1eted as nearly as practicable prior to the first delivery of water from the Central Arizona preject. That was a major cendition of our support. The Secretary of the Interier has 'paid little attention to. that pre- vision,although Arizona has given support to it. Well over a hundred million dollars has already been apprepriated fer the Central Arizona project. -It's been under construction now fer several years. There's no. way new that this vital provision of the congressiena1 act and the law of this country can now be fulfilled. With that background and the fact that the Central Arizona project is dependent upon the Upper Basin water, primarily and almost exclusively from Colorado and Wyeming, we are beginning to suspect that the continued delay of the Colorado prejects may be deliberate. When we leek to possible motives for this censtant delay, we become suspicious, although not of you, Dave. This is-a matter that I know cencerns yeu, but the delays have sometimes been beyond your contrel. But as weclook back over I the last twelve years to the Fruitland Mesa and Savery-pothoek pro~ects and the last eight for the Dallas Creek and others, we wonder what s happening. Co.nstructien funds were appropriated fer seme ef these proj- ects ever feur years ago. Yet not ene damn dime ef censtructien meney has been expended to. date. I In 1967, the definite plan repert was cemp1eted for, the Fruitland Mesa project. In 1969, those people in good faith signed a repayment contract. -30-