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<br />O\H1 ~\) <br /> <br />We are examining organizations we belong to with the idea of withdrawing. The <br /> <br /> <br />trend is not to join new organizations. There is no intent to boycott this <br /> <br /> <br />organization. For Colorado, this represents a chance to ask the Bureau of <br /> <br /> <br />Reclamation to take a harder look at getting on with delayed storage projects. <br /> <br /> <br />There is some reluctance in the State of Colorado with reference to weather <br /> <br /> <br />modification and a very vocal constituency on the Western Slope pertaining to <br /> <br /> <br />the environmental question. If there is this price to pay, what can we nego- <br /> <br /> <br />tiate? It is fine to say, let us defer the water rights question, but that <br /> <br /> <br />does not serve the best interests of Colorado right now. Most importantly, we <br /> <br /> <br />need a speedy construction of our storage projects. Morrill: \ole are not <br /> <br /> <br />really worried about water rights in Colorado right now. We will probably take <br /> <br /> <br />our share before it gets out of the State. I do not think we have to decide <br /> <br /> <br />the issue right now, but it has to be done sometime. Siaastad: The Environmen- <br /> <br /> <br />tal Protection Agency (EPA) salinity requirements threaten to restrict our use <br /> <br /> <br />of the water. Morrill: It is probably cheaper to put more water in the river <br /> <br /> <br />than to build these salinity projects. <br /> <br /> <br />Valantine: A bald statement that weather modification improves the salin- <br /> <br /> <br />ity content is incorrect. It depends on the watersheds producing the extra <br /> <br /> <br />water, and on what uses, if any, are made of the extra water. Kahan: Depletion <br /> <br /> <br />alone does not increase concentration, It depends on the quality of water with- <br /> <br /> <br />drawn. The fact that additional water produces additonal salt does not say <br /> <br /> <br />anything about concentration which is the real concern. Valantine: I am just <br /> <br /> <br />saying you have to be careful about the claims of benefit from weather modi- <br /> <br /> <br />fication. Morrill: It depends on what you do with the water produced. <br /> <br /> <br />Kahan: How does salinity get worse by increasing precipitation? Valantine: <br /> <br />The increased precipitation will result in a runoff that has picked up more <br /> <br /> <br />salt, as shown by USGS studies. If the added volume of runoff is used within <br /> <br /> <br />the Upper Basin, then the added salts would be concentrated into the original <br /> <br /> <br />volume of runoff, thus increasing the river's salinity. This impact is <br /> <br /> <br />increased when pick-up of dissolved salts from the use of the added water is <br /> <br /> <br />also considered, Accordingly, one cannot make flat statements as to the impacts <br /> <br /> <br />of weather modification on salinity. <br /> <br /> <br />Goslin: Colorado Division of Salinity Control had a forum. Our commission <br /> <br /> <br />presented a statement before the appropriations committee almost simultaneously <br /> <br /> <br />with that and each State in the basin also made such a statement. Also, <br /> <br />27 <br /> <br /> <br />~ <br />. <br />r <br />E <br />1 <br /> <br />I <br />