BOARD02177

• Board Meeting Date: 5/5/1952
• Description: Minutes and Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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of the Senate had met and concluded to vote the bill out favorably without
further hearings, provided no report was received from the Secretary of
the Interior which raised new factual considerations. Thus 'far, Mr.
Breitenstein said, no report had been received from the Secretary. Mr.
Breitenstein expressed his opinion that if the Board believed it desirable
to modify the excess land provisions of the Federal Reclamation laws, as
they apply to the San Luis Valley, this Board should consider the adoption of
a resolution on the subject. Similar action of the Board had previously
been taken, but in view of t he current situation, he believed it important
for the Board to reiterate its position on the subject. There ensued
discussion of the matter.

Following such discussion, John W. Beaty offered and moved the
adoption of the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the provisions of the Federal Reclamation Laws, which
limit to 160 acres the area of land wliich may be retained in one
ownership and yet receive water from a Federal Reclamation Project,
are impractical and undesirable when applied to Colorado agriculture, and

WHEREAS, the basic reasons asserted in justification of the 160 acre
limitation, which are the prevention of speculation, the assurance of
payment to the Federal Government of the reimbursable project costs, and
the creation of family operated farm units, may be better satisfied by
a relaxation of the 160 acre limitation which will truly reflect the
conditions on each reclamation project, and

WHEREAS, the success of existing and proposed Federal Reclamation
Projects in Colorado requires a modification of the excess land pro-
visions so that the hard and fast 160 acre limit may be adjusted to
meet the conditions of individual projects, and

WHEREAS, on the Conejos Division of the San Luis Valley Project
the use for conservation purposes of t he constructed Platoro Dam is
denied to the water users of the Conejos Water Conservancy District
becau.se of the insistence upon full compliance with the 160 acre limi-
tation even though high officials of the Federal Government have in
public statements recognized that the application of su.ch limitation
to the Conejos area is unrealistic,

NOW, THEREFORE, liE IT RESOLVED that the Colorado Water Conservation
Board favors a modification of the excess land provisions of the Federal
Reclamation Laws which will remove the fixed 160 acre limit 'and provide
for some method of establishing, for Federal Reclamation Projects, a
limitation on acreage which will reflect the true situation of each
project area from an economic and agricUltural standpoint.

. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Colorado Water Conservation Board
favors S. 2610 which provides for a modification of the excess land
provisions for the authorized San Luis Valley Project and deplores the
attitude of the Washington bureaucracy in opposing that bill.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution shall be
sent to the members of the Colorado Congressional delegation and that
the Director and Attorney for the Board are directed to proceed to carry
out the objectives of this Resolution.