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<br />" <br />,,;...r"" <br /> <br />II <br />~ <br /> <br />O.~"^3Q <br />U. ~ -/' ( <br />~ ., <br /> <br />,I'. ;~/); <br />.) rj; J' Ij~ ~ }.J'" . <br />\ ,J-pp~(jh ~,ID" /11' r <br />V~ jJ' ,-O~ ~~ ~ p;f ';d/IT <br />\9 ,iYJY ~ ff J-. J f <br />rY 0(1 do oJ" ~ <br />Y yYl'~ <br /> <br /> <br />News Contact: Ross Bethel <br />(303) 866-3441, ext. 308 <br /> <br />DRAFf -- T:\EDOTRANS\KK020103,NR <br /> <br />News Release <br /> <br />February 1, 1994 <br />For Immediate Release <br /> <br />NEW SYSTEM HELPS PROTECT COLORADO RIVER INTERESTS <br /> <br />Continuing conflicts over the use of Colorado River water have prompted the state to <br />launch a major project that will improve Colorado's ability to make better decisions about <br />interstate compact policy, water resources management and water rights administration, <br />The tug of war involves some 15 million acre feet of water that annually flows <br />through the seven-state Colorado River basin. <br />The 1922 Colorado River Compact and a series of subsequent interstate agreements <br />and court cases apportioned 50 percent of the river's water to the upper basin states of <br />Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, and the remaining half to the lower basin states <br />of California, Arizona and Nevada. <br />In recent years, California's annual use of about 5.2 million acre feet has exceeded its <br />basic allowance of 4.4 million acre feet. Some of that water historically came from Arizona's <br />share. But now that Arizona has begun storing Colorado River water in its Central Arizona <br />Project, for the first time in history, the lower basin states have exceeded their collective <br />Colorado River Compact entitlement. <br />Because Colorado has the largest undeveloped share of compact entitlement water, <br />excess water use by other states threatens Colorado's ability to put that water to use in the <br />future, <br /> <br />Recent proposals for the recovery of endangered fish and for re-authorization of the <br />Clean Water Act also compete for Colorado's share of Colorado River Water, <br />