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<br />002247
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<br />c:ll;trcmdy compte), program. The ,om puler i~ upabtc of telling
<br />" Woller u~r the .amount of water available at any givcn point
<br />under .my .w.umed conditjon~.
<br />To ,,,,l,;ililolh: utililJ.lion uf ~trc...m f1ow~. The River Di~lrict
<br />h.l~ from il~ bc~jnnin~ workr..-d towdrd obuining, adjudicating,
<br />.Inti perfecling Winer nghl~. The River Di~tricl own~ rights to
<br />w.ller fur mnre Ihdn 50 propu\Cd WolLer con\Crv.11ion prOiCCl\
<br />,1111.1 hol~ m.u,h: uw of !>Urnc right!> .av.uldblc lO the UurC4u uf
<br />RL'CJolmJlion, ,.1\ well as local con~rv.ancy di!J.riclS in a continued
<br />cllurl to put Lhl,: .....ller!> uf the Color.I.(.Io River to b~:Il\:ficiolJ U~.
<br />nurin~ the dry \ummcr of 1977, municipJlilics and irrij;oltion
<br />...,t! lIIcilul'vl,l"lI ...h!>lll\.h I..IJkJ u!>Vllllu; K.vcr LJi!>lrl\.L lur
<br />J!>sislancc in c.ning a lig.hl w.atcr situuion. The River Di~trict
<br />re\I>onueu uy \Igning vver rl1>hl\; tu )Om\: of Lho)C urb-lniutiun\;
<br />.md ;m.iJlging for re!oCrvoir releasei 10 help olhen.
<br />III\: Klvel l)l~I"d I~ pl.llll1l1l1> Iho.: JUllipo.:r.Cru" Mount.1I11
<br />hydroelcctric projcct wilh 78,000 kilowatti of initaJled gcnerat-
<br />lilt: ..:.!1).H.iLy .iJlU 1,222,000 .u;n,:-fccl of w..Ler \lor..g\:. The
<br />projcct would providc a clcan, renewable iQurc.e of power, new
<br />rel.re.lli'II1.11 uPllllrtuniti...... fur the V..mp.. V"llcy ..nd im:rc..)C(]
<br />WolLer .Iv.til.lbility for municipAl, agricultural and induiuial
<br />purpme\.
<br />The Oiitrict'i reipon\ibility requirei comtant monitoring of
<br />~1.IIC .lnd n.ltion.lllet:i\lalion, court caSCi, treatiei, COrTlp.lCts and
<br />...unLr.al,;h .a\; well .a\ riling). While \Orne 500,000 ",cre-feel of
<br />w.lter ii currently Deing diverted from the Weuern Slope, a
<br />Klvcr Oi)trict IJlVC)llg4lion of public record) rcvealcl.! c1aimi by
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<br />MIlIIIllUIIl Strealll F1UWl>. .1 lie 1(lv..:r UIl>trl<:1 il.al> I~..:n.. plOn..:<.:r
<br />In Ihe concept and believes that properly documented data
<br />~ll\luh.l b..: uscu lO e~labli)h thl: minimum now n..:..:d..:u to
<br />preserve the nOlI ural environment to a reasonablll degree :lnd
<br />111..11 w.ah:r ~h<lul,l he .rpptupn.rled for that purpu~ und..:r til..:
<br />uo..lnnc of prior appropriation.
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<br />FuluU~ Needs. ;Therc is enough water in the Colorado River
<br />11;1l>1I1 <If We~h:rn f"lIlor:ulo fur lhe pn:-.cnl and futu!\; nc,,:ul> uf
<br />.r~rlI;ul\urc a\; well 3) mUnl"lpal and inuustn.i1 U~) and mOlJur
<br />cner~y development if provision is made for W:lter storage
<br />anJ Iralll>lllUunl.lln Jlv..:rl>IOHl> OIrc helJ to pH:~nl l",v<.:h. Waler
<br />~lora~e for energy l>houlu he sUT"l"lied i1nd paid for by Ihe energy
<br />1I1JUl>try.
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<br />Sdr~etermillltlun. O..:..IMom on lh..: futur..: of the ColorOldo
<br />1{IYCr III Western Color;Jdo should be m3dc by the people who
<br />hv~' In th.rl bal>lJl. not by lhol><.: who hY\: III Ollll:r b;&sllll>, ~uch
<br />JS the South l'lollle or Potomac.
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<br />u~tern Colorado divcrters for many times tb4.t amount.
<br />Dem.1ndi on The River District incrUie proportionately to
<br />the demand~ on and challenges to the river. And, those demands,
<br />OIro.: im;reOl\;ing. [),;m.lnJ\ rOlng~' frum cnergy developmenl u)C\
<br />to thos.c of the Metropoli~n Water Diitrict of Southern
<br />California, Central Arizon..1 Project and Eastern Colorado. The
<br />demands al~ come in the form of legislation and regulation.
<br />NOlwithstanding the bcnefiti of environmental and w.tcr qualilY
<br />control regulation, it docs b4.ve the .ffect of reducing the now
<br />of water dvailable for uSC by mom. And, a more .ctive role
<br />in the determin.tion of lhe Colorado River'i future in WC\tern
<br />Colorado by lho1.c remote from the .lrCJ rcquirei a greatcr
<br />enort by t.ho\C frum wilhin the OIre.a.
<br />The tax-supportcd River District ii involved in policy and
<br />owns right~ in the Colorildo, White, V.tmp.. ..nd Gunni\On river
<br />b.\\ini. POrlion\ of Ihe Dolorcs .lnd Green riveri now throuj:h
<br />Ille UIl>lri...L.
<br />It ii governed by a board of 15, .lppoinlcd by bo.1fds of
<br />wunly I,;ommi>>ioncfi of the wunlic\ oompri)ing lhe f.li\tti(;L.
<br />They represent !>Orne 156,000 people of The Diiuicl, which
<br />il> 6.5 po.:r ...cnt uf tho.: )lOlh;') pupulOlliun OIlld I...'\) LhOln Ofk:
<br />per cent of the population \Crved by the entire river. Yet, the
<br />OIrc.l incluuc\ 28 per cent of the Idod m",~ of Cojor.tdo U(
<br />29,000 square miles.
<br />It conwim 0111 uf the \;lOlte's oil \ohOllc dCPDsib which i) SO
<br />per cent of the nation's, and much of lhe country's high~uality.
<br />low.wlphur coal. Some 53 per cent pf the gaged now and 65
<br />per cent of lhe c.a.lculatcd virgin nO'\.Jf the Colorado River at
<br />lee Ferry originatei in The River DiJ!fict.
<br />lndoetl, more th.o haif of thc Wolter origiruting in the slate
<br />of Colorado, either originates in or nows lhrough the Colorado
<br />Rivcr Wolter Conierv.tion Diiuict.
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<br />Tr.nsmouot.in Dive"iooa. Outbas.in divers.iolli rrom the Colo-
<br />rado River &~in not only reduce the tol..1 aupply ;J;v3ilahle
<br />Cur m-ba>iJ1l b":llo.:fl..1.;.OI UM: bUL t....<.: lhe very hlltb~l 4ual1ty
<br />water, thereby increasing salinily in the entire basin. Further-
<br />more, <.:nVln.lllm",nlal anu al:lIithetll:: proul<.:m:o Crcqw:ntly rl:J;uH
<br />from such diversions.
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<br />SalinilY. Origin;Jlly a w:lter qu;.rlity control iJ;Sue. salinity is
<br />being u<':vl:lop<.:J ~ a politic~ tool by lower b~in atoates, Mexico
<br />and othen. Increased salinity is C3uscd mainly by natural forces
<br />l>u..:h 01:0 run--orr on nun-trngotted fcuer;&) 100nJ and mineral )pn",lo
<br />as well as irrigation and ou1ba~in divers.ion projeet~. Salinity
<br />and w~ter lju",lity were nul faf,:turl> In thl: Color.do River Com-
<br />pa..,1 or the trc./.ly with Mexico and lfe.ter precision ml.15t be
<br />used in fixing responsibility for the problem. Dceree-holders
<br />wllh rightlo pre<.latlfl~ the 1922 f,:ompOlf,:t lohould no~""
<br />costs. in dollars or WOller. "!.
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<br />S~ulatton. The inf,:f\:aSlf1ll practif,:e of spceul..ti~ler.
<br />which by constitution is the property of the people ( ate
<br />uf ColorOldo, i) harmful both 10 lh<.: basin, its rcs.il:l.e ",nd
<br />the st.te. ::~
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<br />lIydroeleelrk Po....er. N<.:w t<.:chnology in low-hc..d hydropowcr
<br />h3Ji opened up thousands of opponunihcs in the United Sl.tel
<br />for a source of enerlY thai is unmatched. It is poUution..(ree.
<br />renewable olnd economic..!. It must be liven tbe ume 6r &realer
<br />emphaw th..1n Ihe more u.pcns.ive &lid fmite eneJIY raourccs
<br />that wc are now dependent on.
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