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<br />pd~e 8 . Crested Butle NCtt-'S . October Ii, 2003
<br />
<br />Water court jUdge grants
<br />stay in Black Canyon case
<br />
<br />Fediirat case continues
<br />
<br />by )Idissa Uuch
<br />On Tuesday, October 7,
<br />Color.,do Water Court Judgl'
<br />Stc\'t.'fl Patrick put a tl'mporary
<br />twIt or stay.. un statl' wat~r court
<br />pTOl"-'l.'dings n'g.1rding the United
<br />Statl.'S' right to slre.lm flows for the
<br />Black Canyon of the Gunnison
<br />Natilmal Park so th.,t the fooL'ra]
<br />CilSl"C.ln beJ'l'SOlvl.>d,
<br />In Junl' 2003, (jw environ-
<br />mL'ntal ~i'()Up~, th~ local High
<br />Country Citi.lt'ns' AllianCt'
<br />(HCCA), thl' Wildl'm{'S~ Socil>ty,
<br />Ih(" We<:Iern Colorado C(lng"",,,,
<br />thl' Western Slupe En\'lronnwntal
<br />Rl'Mmrn' Council and Tl'llut
<br />Unlimited fi/e-d d il"t.ieroJl lawsuit
<br />In Tl'Sponse to the f{'dl'ral settle-
<br />ment .1g;Tl'('ment over the Black
<br />Canyon wdler right:.. Tht:')' ..imul-
<br />l.Jnl'Ously a..,kt"'li the stOlte ......ater
<br />('(lurt to fn""LL' procel>dings until
<br />the qUL'S!ion... prcSt.'ntt>d to fe-dt'r,ll
<br />court havt' !x'('n setllN. The f{.o,J-
<br />er.llla......suil as!'(.'rh th.:!t Ihe agn'l.'-
<br />mt'nt vio]atl;'S Ih~ National Park
<br />St-rvice Org.mk Act, the Black
<br />C.lnyon Al;, the Nation.!1
<br />Environmental Policy Act
<br />(NEPA), and the Administrative
<br />PnX'l>dure Act (APA).
<br />The Black Canyon, 30 mill"S
<br />west of the City of Gunnison.
<br />WdS named the country'!> 55th
<br />national pMk in 1999. It was fiNt
<br />proclaimed a nation.lI monument
<br />in 1933 anJ, with tht' nl'W !ioldtus,
<br />was grdnll"d an un<juantifi{'d
<br />amount of water "10 ronserYe
<br />dnJ maintain in .10 unimpain>d
<br />condition thL' SCt'niL-, dL'sthl'lic,
<br />(.Jnd) natural" condition of tht'
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />!l..ltional monument.
<br />W~n J('emed a monumL'nt
<br />the Bl.Jxk Canyon was at th{' whim
<br />of powerful spring nmoff condi.
<br />tions, which served to kL't.'P it fm.'
<br />of pl,lnt growth. However. \....hen
<br />the Blue Mt'S.l Dam was compk't-
<br />ed in 1965, forming the BIUt' M{'Sd
<br />Rt"St'rvoir, natural f'l.'.lk and low
<br />flows wel'(' l'wned out. making it
<br />difficult 10 maintain the nahJral
<br />state of !ht' Black Canvon.
<br />In 2001. the Park s...rvke
<br />applied for a yeM-round (l'dcr,l]
<br />n"Sl-'rve waler right NSt' Ilow of
<br />300 cubic fl"e'1 pt'r SC('{)nd (cis) W1th
<br />f'l'dk flows at Cl'rtain times (If tht'
<br />year, Those peak flows wel\' coin-
<br />cidmtill/y n'que:-tt-d tor the same
<br />time local irrigators nt'Cd \'<'1<;1
<br />.1rnc>unls of w,ltt'r-May, June and
<br />July-attracting the ,lttmlion and
<br />rono.'m 01 many local irrigators
<br />and rant-hl'fS, Cum'lltl)', there is a
<br />300 ds ba..e flow ri~ht in thl;' Black
<br />C.,nyon; howl'wr. it is junior (0
<br />most other W.ltcr righl.. in the
<br />ba~in, In other words, the Bldck
<br />Canyon curn-ntly gel" its base
<br />flow only if many other US{'f'S
<br />senior to it get thl'ir water fi~t.
<br />The curn.'nt ilgn..'t"mcnt
<br />n'ached bv the United Stdtes "nd
<br />tht:' State (;f Colorado providt'S the
<br />same 300 cis base flow to the Bide).;.
<br />Canyon with a much more Sl'fliot
<br />1933 f('(jL'ral n'St'T'\.t' walt'r right
<br />that pral'ticdlly guarantees tht'
<br />flo\o'., However, in order to achi",\'\'
<br />any peak OO\\'s for the BldCk
<br />Canyon. th", Colorado Waler
<br />Conserv.ltion Board (CWCB) must
<br />file for in5t:n>am flow right.. with
<br />the state. Th.lt p~ is CUrn'lltly
<br />undl'f W,lY. Tho..... ~ak flow
<br />rights, if granlt-d, will bt' i.lf junior
<br />
<br />to the majority of lhL'uppcr ba..in's
<br />3,500 water rights and lower
<br />basin's 3,250 watN rights. In a dry
<br />year. it's unlikely that any true
<br />"peak'. flow would be left over for
<br />lhe Black Canyon.
<br />"Judgt' Patrick's order W.1S a
<br />common-St."l1.<.l' derision that will
<br />allow import,'llt questions of ft>d-
<br />L'rallilw to be am\\'el'e'd before fur-
<br />ther d('tion by the water rourt."
<br />said Bart .Milk-r; Water Program
<br />difl'ctor for "V~'Stt'm R{'S()urct'
<br />Advocates and dn attomey for
<br />four of the citi;lt'n'" gmups. 'The
<br />stdy 01 the sldte pn)(\'t'(Hngs wiII
<br />aI/ow thl' fl'dl'ral court to dt'ler- ~
<br />mint' whdht'r tht> United $Iall>s is ~
<br />fulfilling its leg.ll dlilil'S to tht' .
<br />Alack Canyon bdore tht, iedt'ra]
<br />gO\"('mment goes forward ....-ith it.<;
<br />attempt to n'LiucP it... water claim
<br />thl'tlugh the ...f.1t~ watpr amrt".
<br />There is localopf"O"ition 10 t~
<br />coalition's complainl'l. ~l' Upper
<br />Cunni son Ri\'{'r Watt'r
<br />Con,*'rvancy Di...trict (UCRWCDj
<br />has op~ the complaints, .<;.aid
<br />UGRWCD man.Jgl'T Kathleen
<br />Curry, She explainl->d that it is the
<br />district's It'g.11 opinion that the
<br />BI.1ck c.myon water qu.:mtificahon
<br />is-"ue ('()uld be d(>b.lted dnd delt'r-
<br />rrUnt"d in federal court. AOCording
<br />to Curry, 'The district's legalcoun-
<br />sel didn't want to risk the fedt'ral
<br />court gl>tting into the water busi-
<br />J'lt"'S.:>, Thl' .formal position of the
<br />bo.Jrd wa.., to oppose dnd to keep
<br />plugging away and get the i-.sue
<br />resoln>d in the watl.... court."
<br />!\liII"'r indicated this wl"e'k
<br />thdt the nexI phase for tht" coalition
<br />l" to begin mt't'ting with membct'!i
<br />(If the fl-der.l1 go\'t'mmt'tlt to bt-gin
<br />scheduling tht, fedL'ral court ca~.
<br />
<br />001798
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