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<br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />University and the United States Geological Survey are all ceoperating <br />in the program, which is being coordinated by our staff members in <br />Grand Junction. <br /> <br />The entire future of Co1erade rests upon making eur water go. further. <br />We're net geing to get any mere water. We may even get a lot less than <br />we thought we had the way things are going. We must make the same <br />amount of water serve a much greater populatien. The whole future of <br />this beard lies in developing conservatien methods. In additien to. <br />salinity centrol, a very impertant and critical part ef the surveys, is <br />to determine methods to. sustain our agricultural industry much as it is <br />today, despite the fierce competition fer industrial and municipal water. <br />The agricultural industry is a majer industry. It's over a two. billien <br />de11ar industry in Ce10rado annually. The gevernor ef this state is <br />dedicated to. the preservation of the agricultural economy. This pregram <br />is one that we hope will lead to better returns to. the farmer and also. <br />reduce the salinity ef the Celerade River. This program is an extensien <br />ef the pregram that we've been carrying en in the Grand Valley area. We <br />have a reselutien along that line to which we'll get to. this afterneon. <br /> <br />MR. ADKINS: . My name is Ralph Adkins. I weuld make this cemment as vice- <br />president ef the Celerado Water Congress en the cenfrentation that we've <br />had with the EPA in regards to. agricultural return flew preblems, net <br />only in Celerade, but in the West. <br /> <br />On July 12 ef this year, there was published in the Federal Register the <br />regulations which EPA is prepesing fer agricultural return flew. Larry, <br />yeu mentioned the. matter of cempetitien that we're facing. Agriculture <br />in the West is facing further competition by the pesitien that EPA has <br />taken en agriculture return flow by the definitien that they are using <br />in regard to. agriculture return flew. They are applying the regulation <br />to. surface water return which results from the centrelled app1icatien ef <br />water by any person to land used primarily for creps er nursery eperations. <br /> <br />Controlled app1icatien of water can enly mean ene thing. The direct <br />thrust of that is against western agriculture. A great deal of eastern <br />and "southern agriculture which dees net contre1 the application will net <br />be covered under this permit system. So., we're facing anether cempetitive <br />problem by the pesition that the EPA is taking. I would anticipate that <br />undeubtedly there will be some legal actien breught against the EPA be- <br />cause ef the elimination frem these regulations of a part ef agriculture <br />in the United States. It would also. appear to. me that agriculture in the <br />West has get to face this preblem also with a determinatien of what we <br />will expect to.. de by the ebvieus discrimination that is being practiced <br />against us by the.definition in these regulatiens and the results that <br />will come from them. <br /> <br />MR. STAPLETON: Thank you, Mr. Adkins. <br /> <br />MR. SPARKS: Ralph, this beard has already expressed its full suppert <br />to the Celerade Water Congress which has taken the leadership in these <br />matters. It is a very critical matter. In future beard meetings we're <br />geing into it in mere detail to see how we can better coerdinate the <br /> <br />-37- <br />