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<br />~_ _,/w <br /> <br />the board. The bill has passed the Senate and this week was favorably <br />4Itreported out of the House Committee on Local Government. <br /> <br />5. Senate Bill 453. This bill would amend the minimum <br />stream flow law to provide that this board could not protect its <br />minimum stream flow decrees by protesting a change in use or change in <br />point of diversion of other water rights, except changes from one water <br />division to another. This bill was proposed by Mr. Robert Welborn, <br />purportedly on behalf of the CFI Corporation. If the minimum stream <br />flows cannot be protected, then they are worthless. The obvious purpose <br />of the bill is to repeal the minimum stream flow law without appearing <br />to do so. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The bill has already passed the Senate and is now pending <br />before the House Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Natural <br />Resources. As the board members well know, the securing of minimum <br />stream flows and lake levels is an extremely expensive and time consuming <br />process. The total state investment in this process will eventually be <br />several millions of dollars. If the bill passes the House and is <br />approved by the Governor, there appears to be no point in pursuing the <br />process any further. The interesting issue will be to determine whether <br />or not CFI, a large and powerful corporation, can impose its corporate <br />will upon the people of this state. If such is the case, then one of <br />the most important environmental protection measures ever yet adopted <br />by the state of Colorado will go down the drain. <br /> <br />6. Next Board meeti!. In view of the considerable activity <br />now taking place in the Colora 0 General Assembly which affects this <br />board and the situation regarding federal funding of Colorado recla- <br />mation projects, all of which are taking a tremendous amount of staff <br />time, the next meeting of this board which would ordinarily be in May <br />has not yet been scheduled. Governor Lamm wishes to spare no effort <br />in getting funding for all of the Colorado reclamation projects which <br />President Carter is attempting to eliminate. <br /> <br />The markup of the Public Works Appropriation Bill in the <br />Congress will probably occur around the middle of May. The Governor <br />has requested that I spend considerable time in Washington in an <br />attempt to organize effective support for the continued funding of the <br />Colorado reclamation projects. This being the case, it is probable <br />that the next board meeting will be held in July. In accordance with <br />our practice, that meeting should be held somewhere outstate. We <br />would therefore like to have recommendations from the board members as <br />to where this outstate meeting should be held. We would also like to <br />have another outs tate meeting in September. <br /> <br />FLS:mm <br />Enclosures <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Memorandum <br /> <br />-3- <br /> <br />April 14, 1977 <br />