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~ by Colorado-Ute Electric Association of Montrose interested in purchasing the hydro. The sale of power would have paid some up front costs and construction. The license application, before the FERC for a number of years. was eventually denied. In the in- terim, Colorado-Ute withdrew from the project basing their deci- sion on economic conditions and a lack of a ready market for the peaking power, a major disappointment. Coming up with alternatives to the original hydro facility and filing again with the FERC for a license is possihile. Diligence is being maintained on valuable senior water rights owned by the River District to be available when needed, and local citizen sup- port remains high. The District formed its first sub-district in the western one- third of Rio Blanco County in the 70's. Water Users Association No.1, as a vehicle to build a project. The decree forming a sub- district in the Colorado River Water Conservation District was approved by the District Court in Meeker in 1977. In 1980, a special bond election was held and voters of the subdistrict con- sented to indebt themselves by $13 million in general obligation bonds by a margin of 10 to 1; construction began in 1982 on the 13.800 acre-foot reservoir with no state or federal funds involved; and in 1984, dedication ceremonies were conducted for Taylor Draw Dam and Kenney Reservoir on the White River (Rangely Project). The town of Rangely now has a dependable water supp- ly. hydro !lIay be added to the dam in the future, and the reser- voir means recreational opportunities not available before to visitors and people of the area. The Colorado River District has undergone changes in its fifty years of existence. In its early and middle years, emphasis was on fighting transmountain diversions. filing on water rights, cooperating with others in resolving water issues and litigation. Today. the District is moving toward actually applying water to beneficial use by construction and project financing along with its other responsibilities. The River District will continue its historical practice of filing on good reservoir sites, continue to ag- gressively protect its decrees and to cooperate with others. This is based on the premise that while yesterday's filings provide to- day's water supply, today's filings will serve as the foundation for tomorrow's water supply. Protection, conservation and development of Western Col- orado water always has and will continue to require a wide range of legal activities. There have been times when litigation filed by others in state and federal courts could have ultimately had an ef.' feet on the cost of water and even reduced supplies in Western" Colorado. ,.:-- The River District has fought such cases a number of times hi-' the past and will continue to do so. Local conservancy districts and communities generally lack expertise in water matters and simply cannot afford to enter litigation. That is when the District can and does respond to the needs of West Slope water users. THE NEXT FIFTY YEARS mow will history treat the next half century of the Colorado River District? In part, the answer is in the words of Frank Delaney from remarks made at that public meeting in 1937 called by the Western Colorado Protective Association to chart a future course of action. He said: "When those of us who are here actively participating are gone. there will still be problems to solve." Later when he retired, after serving nearly two decades as General Counsel, Delaney was quoted as saying: "I hope my work has been of some lasting benefit to the District, its inhabitants. and the people of Western Colorado in general. I realize. however, that what we have done or failed to do can only be ap- praised with accuracy twenty-five years or maybe fifty years from now." A. Allen Brown, an insightful leader and President, was a man who served the River District effectively in pioneering the development of water resources in Western Colorado. Upon his retirement in 1983. a former Governor of the State of Colorado said of him: "When history is written about the people who made 16