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. Water Quality -- EPA's 2000 assessment of U.S. 'water quality found that more than 291,000 miles of assessed rivers and streams do not meet water quality standards and the situation is not getting substantially better. . Infrastructure -- the American Society of Civil Engineers 2001 Report Card for America's . Infrastructure gave grades of D+ or lower to the conditions of our dams, drinking water systems, wastewater facilities, navigable waterways, and hydropower production capabilities. The letter states that, "Failure to address these water res9urces issues now...could significantly impact the economy; ...increase legal conflicts over rights and uses; reverse progress on cleaning up our rivers and restoring our natural areas; ...[and] stalemate our ability to effectively manage water.... Efforts to deal with water issues are met by a plethora of interest groups, a dozen committees in Congress, numerous federal agencies, and programs that are narrowly focused and fail to recognize the interrelationship among water uses and the management of water. . .It has been over a quarter of a century since the last comprehensive assessment ofU.S, water needs... a national vision to deal with water, address competing goals and objectives - social, environmental and economic - and establish broad priorities for resource expenditures" is needed. The letter continues, recornmending that the Administration and Congress should: "Ensure coordination and collaboration among Federal agencies and with other agencies at state, regional, and local levels; consider incentives for gaining cooperation to reach policy objectives and connect water quality and water quantity for a unified water policy." Statewide Owens Urges Passage of "Drought Package": On Fe]? 14 Governor Owens called on state legislators to enact a comprehensive package of bills to address the drought. "We can't enact a law to make it snow," Owens said. "However, we can, and must, pass legislation to address the current and future water needs in Colorado. There is already a bipartisan consensus forming to help meet that . goaL" The Governor's legislative priorities are divided into thr~e areas: immediate action, conservation efforts and addressing long-term supplies of water. To help meet immediate needs this summer, Owens urged lawmakers to permit statewide water banking and, also to allow cities to enter into interruptible water supply contracts with farmers and ranchers. Owens also emphasized that conservation is essential this summer and announced his support for legislation providing incentives for farmers to conserve and also for a bill that would help protect aquatic life. We will discuss this legislative package at our meeting. A copy of the Governor's announcement is available on the state web site www.state.co.us. . Tamarisk Executive Order: On January 8 the Govern~r issued an Executive Order aimed at the eradication of the Tamarisk. The Order gives the DNR ~ne-year to produce a plan to eradicate Tamarisk from all public land in Colorado within lO-ye~s. U.S. Representative Scott McInnis is also asking Congr~ss for $1 million to fund long-range eradication research, and U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., plans to reintroduce a bill this year that could make more than $10 million available annually for tamarisk control in Colorado and five other Southwestern states. It is estimated that Tamarisk has covered more than 1.5 lmillion acres and sucks up enough water every year to supply 20 million people. Tamarisk was brought to the U.S. in the l800s from Eurasian and Middle Eastern countries as a feathery, pink-flowered o\namental and a hardy, deep-rooted plant that could stabilize riverbanks. Since then, in addition to using 25 percent more water than most native . riverbank species, tamarisk has clogged streams, dried up springs, crowded out native plants, increased 10