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but it may have originated with some community leaders who believed the River District to be a small fish in a big pond and unable to meet the challenges coming from powerful interests on the East Slope. specifically Denver. The concept of a "super district" did bear fruit, however, but not in the way it was intended. River District directors became increasingly aware of the need to grow which would, in turn, add strength and clout to the District. Expansion to take in other counties became high priority and Delaney drafted a bill increas- ing the size of the District. Chronologically, following the seven originals, these counties, or parts thereof, were added to the River District: Montrose County in 1951; under Delaney's bill in 1955, Rio Blanco, Grand, Moffat, Routt, and Ouray Counties; and finally, Hinsdale and Saguache Counties in 1961. Today, the Colorado River District includes all of 12 and a part of three other West Slope counties (Montrose, Saguache and Hinsdale). The District comprises 280,0 of the land mass of Western Colorado. with the boundaries being the Utah and Wyoming state lines, the Continental Divide and San Juan Moun- tains. Until expansion of the District in 1955. many of the problems to that time had centered primarily on the Colorado River. This changed with the addition of counties off the mainstem Colorado with more consideration being given to the concerns of other streams and the new counties. Board policy became one of looking at issues, projects and plans in terms of the effects on the entire basin now covering some 29,000 square miles. As to features of certain projects that are meaningful to the en- tire basin. there is C-BT and Green Mountain Reservoir and Fry- Ark Project and Ruedi Reservoir and the water there-in. The Bureau of Reclamation built Ruedi Reservoir and operates it while the water storage rights are held by the River District. Tbe facility serves agricultural, industrial and municipal needs. provides a wealth of recreational activities and stores water ear- marked for beneficial use in Western Colorado. It is reasonable to refer to Ruedi and Green Mountain Reser- voirs in the same breath since botb are federal projects built as compensatory facilities. At issue is the marketing of water out of these two facilities to meet the needs of users in the Colorado River Basin in Western Colorado. Water sales from both reservoirs is the subject of on- going negotiations between the Bureau and the River District. The Bureau considers the District. as the principal water agenct"" in Western Colorado. the logical body to be the marketing age~ ' for the sale of any surplus water, after fulfilling project oblig""'~' tions, to West Slope Users. ~, ' As 1987 came to a close following months of intense negotia- tions, the situation covering some contractual arrangement for operation and maintenance of the reservoirs to include water marketing remained confused and uncertain. The Bureau of Reclamation anticipated proceeding with water sales contracts on their own. WATER "The Life.Blood of Colorado West" 10