BOARD02195

• Board Meeting Date: 9/12/1964
• Description: Minutes
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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systems by gravity flow, to save the Weldon
Valley and at the same time conserve sufficient
supplemental water for all downstream users.
Such a plan would enhance the prosperity of
the entire South platte valley and would in-
clude a large enough area that repayment would
be within reach.

We still believe that this plan would
have been followed had the thinking of all
organizations involved been geared to the
upper site instead of the lower. The Bijou
system is definitely deficient in water supply,
uses all of the 46,880 acre-feet in its sto~-
age decree every year and as much as double
that amount in years when the river is high
enough to allow refills, direct flow, etc.
No water will be available to the Bijou Sys-
tem from the Narrows because delivery could
not be made to intake structures 20 miles
upstream nor is exchange possible at the time
of need.

The Bijou System will support the con-
struction of upstream storage of reasonable
proportions and will help to pay for it as has
been stated in a resolution to the Water Board
months ago. Also, the Bijou System has always
opposed and must continue to oppose construc-
tion at the Narrows site for three principal
reasons:

1. 55,000 acres of irrigated land cannot
be served.

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2. 172 families in the Weldon Valley are
removed in comparison with fewer than 20 at
the upper site; 9070 acres of irrigated land
are lost in comparison with 1500 acres at the
upper site. No consideration is given to the
loss of production in excess of $4,000,000
annually or to the loss of ad valorem taxes
which amounted to $93,000 in 1963.

3. A majority of the people affected
oppose such construction.'