WSPC01835

• File Number: 8200.500
• Description: Colorado River - Colorado River Basin - Colorado River Basin General Strategy
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 4/28/1983
• Author: Robert A Jones
• Title: Water Agencies Ponder Benefits of Surpluses
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: News Article/Press Release

U'" I \)~.
.:" ~-. .
,}YATlER: SUFjpllliUS Coloirn[lo J1{nver

Rlll1110ff
,
I

1Pn~5Bn1ts a 1PTIeBsBllilt IDfrTIemma

.....
..:.:....,..

for 15 )'(';l(":' ~;Jld fine r-.ktropoht.1:1
officlJlwho Jsked not to t.e ldt'nll.
fled. "We nC\'Ct pursued it becau..;c
we .....ere told b)" the ImpCflJI people
that it wouldn', go. Only vtry
recently hJS that chJ.ngcd,"
The Idea behmd the trade IS
Simp!". ImpcflJ.rs imS.:l.IIOn system.
bulll dl'CJUt'S :11:0, nolV WaSIl'S Slg-
mflcant Jmounts through 1c00kJgl.'
and splll;):;c If ,\lctropoht:m pays to
upgr.Jtlc the system by hnmg C.:l.IlJJs
with concrete Jnd bUilding more
efficient control gJtcs. then M('lro-
poll tan will recelVC the wOlter cred~l
tor rc<l~c!rlri '....1.,le.
The SI,l;;gr:;llun of such J lrJ.Jc
\II:!S rlr~t :n,)d~' pt.:hlldy two Y('Jrs
aJo10 by l~.C Oq'1Mlm<,nl of W.:ll('f
H("sourccs :JnJ mOre reccmly by I~c
EnvlronmentJI Dckn~e Fund D-Jlh
croup~ e~tllT1;J!t"l the net bendl\'i Olt

^RIZC'NA

L~\
,,) Ph".n;~
,
\
'";

CENTRAL
ARIZO,'J.J.
PROJECT
,......",~'.,..

~

.
.
.
.
'0
lUCID"

L- A~I~' T\mf'I

about '130.000 aCrl"-fl"t't pC'r )"t'ar, or
aboul 80% of the amount :,klrr,poli
tan will be alloIVed todra..... [rum lhc
Colorado Hlver alter the cvtllarl<
begms In 19%.
The costs for ~fetropohlar, h.:.svc
been V,m(lu~lv estlmat..d at SI50
Imlholl to 5300 mIllion, dependmg
on thc extenl of conservatIOn work
undertaken, In addJtion, Metropoh_
Lan may pay lmpeflal J 01;11 pnce
for (';Jeh Jcre-foot reren'rd lJut
virtually all .....ater OffICI"JS ;grc('
thal the W.:lter would rcmalO me".
pensn'e by today's stOlndJrds.
Although ll':lS arr.lnr,emcnl car.
ries Jn undenjable allractlon for
ImperlOlI tOlrmen bcc.luse of the
cost. fn'e upt:;rOldlllg o! thclr system,
it has also provoked lone-held ~cJn
in the ~.alley. 'The peep]l'" here do
not .....:In! ;mot!;er O.....en' V.l!ley,"

saId John Benson, eha;rm;m of the
Inlpcnal bo:Jrd. rcfemng lo the
e"nero SIerra r('glon lhal sold vir-
tuall.v aJ] ILs w;;ter fights lo the city
of Los Angelc-s in the euly 20th
Century.
"Los Angelt's' reccrd is nol illy
white in iLs hunt for water," Benson
saiQ. "The fear IS thai once lhe
:.tWO gels It, hands on our water,
we would never get It bJek, no
matter hnw desperately we needed
IL"
~or rr.any years It was Just thIS
fear thaI prel'cnted ImpcrJ,ill from
s('~lo'Jsly COf1'>rdcnng a deal with
Melropohl;.m. But now the lrngatJOn
district has eneounte.ed a S<'flOUS
problem of its own thal has c.iven
the agency to Sl'.lreh {or hdp. Its
mammoth irflhdtion system empties
into the Sallon Sl'a and O~'er the last
few years has exacerbated nood
condition! at the ~ea lhat have
inundated ncarby (arms. Sc~'rral
laWSUits agalllst the dlslncl are
pending,

nl.'dun 'Vll~lf

Only a reo working of lhe sYStl:m
La reduce Wasle ..1.1l! free Impl'fLal
from the threat of more lawsUilS in
the rutur(', and OIt pr('scnl only
Mt'tropohtan has lhe rllnds to rl-
Ilanee the up,c:radll1g
ImperIal offiCials ~:JY thC'ir wIll-
ingncss to dcal .....Ith Los Angeles
also .....as brought about by another
{car, the posslble conseq\1enCl" of a
sevcre watN crisis 111 Svuthcrn
Call forma :Jlsome fulure dale.
Al prescnt Ihe' agnellltural dis.
tricLs along th(' n\'('r hJ\'c- rrbht~ Lo
3.85 million :Jcrc'({'et of C.JlJ(ornl,,'s
lot.)1 ''-'1 mllllon acr('.foot entitle-
ment from the Colorado. Dunn.!; a
Water shl.lrt.lge, thC' farm oHic::J]s
sJY, a re-workll1g of those pnOntrcs