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<br />PRESS
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<br />- St -,
<br />Arkansas
<br />
<br />River group approves plan for state park
<br />
<br />By DAVID VICKERS
<br />The Pueblo Chieftain
<br />LA JUNTA - A plan to guide
<br />development of a state park at the
<br />Great Plains Reservoirs system in
<br />Southeastern Colorado was
<br />approved on a lO~2 vote Friday
<br />afternoon by the Lower Arkansas
<br />River Commission.
<br />The plan will be sent tD the Col.
<br />orado Wildlife Commission on
<br />Thursday 'and State Parks Board
<br />later this month .for approval.
<br />Approval is needed from the two
<br />state agencies because the Divi-
<br />sion of Wildlife Will be asked to
<br />purchase water Jor the park and
<br />the State Parks Board will be
<br />asked. 'io .pay for -b,uildings and
<br />.. ~:::.:.i;:.:::.~ ~ .......
<br />
<br />other improvements if the park is land or buildings would occur at
<br />created. Nee Grenda,
<br />The plan then would be sent to The commission has proposed
<br />Colorado Department of Natut:~' negotiating with Amity Mutual
<br />~_otrfC:e3""1:xecutive-'directof1<:e1i Irrigation Co., which owns the
<br />"'Sara}:ar;~nie Legislature and Gov. Great Plains Reservoirs, to
<br />Roy Romer, who created the acquire its rights to store water in
<br />Lower Arkansas River Commis- the lakes.
<br />sian last May. Engineering reports say the
<br />-Last week in Lamar, the com- Amity's storage decree will pro-
<br />mission decided it will make' Nee vide enough water each year to
<br />Granda Reservoir, one of four. support development of a state
<br />lakes in the system south of Eads, park, which would be the first of
<br />the focal point for the' state park. its kind in Southeastern Colorado.
<br />Other lakes would receive excess Under the plan, reservoir oper~
<br />'.water if it became available. -'But, ations would continue as they are
<br />Nee Gronda would receive water until money became available for
<br />. first in an attempt to keep a stable purchaSing water and ,building
<br />pool 1;here. Most imp~ove~~~~ t? :park' facilities. . The e~rliest pro-
<br />. ____ ..~, __.:J.....~.~, _ _..________
<br />
<br />'jeeted date for building park fa-
<br />cilities is 1998, according to Kent
<br />Wiley, who represents the state
<br />parks board on the commission.
<br />Ron Desilet, southeast region
<br />. manager for the Division of Wild~
<br />life, said the wildlife commission
<br />.nas announced it will make acgui-
<br />siton of water for the state park
<br />"a h.igh priority" in its new five-
<br />year plan for projects statewide.
<br />Commission member Steve
<br />Miller, who represents the Colora~
<br />do Water Conservation Board,
<br />said the board is concerned that.
<br />other water users' rights are not
<br />injured when water for the park is
<br />acquired. Miller said -the conser-
<br />vation board is, concerned that
<br />
<br />well users in the area will begin
<br />pumping more water if they sell or
<br />lease their storage rights. .
<br />That would be a violation of
<br />provisions used by the Colorado.'
<br />Kansas ,Compact Administration
<br />to . guide operations of John
<br />Martin Reservoir, Miller noted.
<br />Farmer Ron Aschermann and
<br />County 'Commissioner Robert
<br />. Bauserman cast the two votes
<br />against approving' the plan.
<br />Bauserman said he doubts
<br />whether the plan's price fDr
<br />obtaining water, listed at $4 mil-
<br />lion to $14 million, is accurate. He
<br />said he thinks the water eventually
<br />.could cost as much as $36 million,
<br />considering the price fanners un;-
<br />
<br />der the Amity Canal system wilr-
<br />ask for their water, plus all the le-:;
<br />gal matters that would have to be
<br />resolved in water court, .
<br />
<br />Bauserman added he doesn't.
<br />think people in Otero County
<br />should have to bear the costs of :
<br />,fighting a water court' battle to
<br />build a park in Kiowa County.
<br />Boyle . Engineering Corp: of
<br />Denver, which compiled the study
<br />on acquiring water for the state
<br />park, estimates that as much as 8,-
<br />000 acres of crop land will have to
<br />be dried up to keep water flowing
<br />into the lakes.
<br />
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