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<br />~!r~/97 ~ 'r
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<br />Saturday
<br />August 9, 1997
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<br />4611:
<br />C!c) HJ!J7 Slock.toll Newspapers Inc.
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<br />Hecord Web site: www.reconlnel.com
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<br />~other Lode urged to bW}d water-storage projects'.
<br />,Planner: Headwater sites could mine 'liquid gold' in droughts
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<br />,By Francls P. Garland
<br />lode Bureau Chiee
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<br />. VOlCANO - There's mmlhcl- Mu"lC~r
<br />Lode In the Sierra Nev-,ula,
<br />.; 'nlls one ISlfl hI Ihe foolhills bUI in
<br />the high counlry. lis bounly Isn'l buried
<br />~ II falls from Ihe sky bt Ihe form of
<br />rain and snow.
<br />And II would behoove Ihose wilh any
<br />interest In tile fUlUre, 10 caplure aud
<br />,~Iore thai "liquid gold" al high elevatious
<br />10 quench California's Ihirsl In timL'S of
<br />jlrooghl.
<br />Thai was Ihe message a Colorado
<br />Waler-resource planner delivered Friday
<br />Ii, a Molher Lode gnml' working '0 JIm,
<br />/eel local COWl ties' waleI' Wleresls.
<br />. Dave Miller lold the MOWlIain CoWl'
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<br />'ies WaleI' Ilesources Association thai
<br />building olT,slream, headwater slorage
<br />pn)i.~.s nmld lU'Ovidc n~n(."Wablc. clean
<br />Well e.- ami .Iower sUPlllies that would
<br />carry the region Ihrough hanl, drought
<br />\\\\~.
<br />"Yon could turn whal could be a dis-
<br />asicI' inlo liquid gold by anticipating your
<br />sturage nt.'Cds," Miller said.
<br />Miller's idea, which he said is being
<br />advunced in the Denver area, calls' for
<br />pumping wel-year snowmelt Into off-
<br />rivcl~ high~ahitudc storage siles.
<br />The waleI' Ihen could be released
<br />when uL'CdL't1 10 downslream municipal
<br />and ugricullurnl users or even for envi-
<br />nmmcllwl Imrpost.."S.
<br />Sloring Ihe waleI' high in the moWl'
<br />talus would reduce evaporation and sill
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<br />accumulation, both of which alIcet low.
<br />elevation reservoirs, Miller suid.
<br />The COSI of such a I'mjL-ct would be
<br />Bubstantial, but Miller salcl il could gen-
<br />erale enough elcclricity over time 10
<br />more than pay ior Itself,
<br />MUler sald the off-slream concepl
<br />would be more palatable 10 environmen-
<br />talists than, building slorage 011 a major
<br />river.
<br />A big plus, he said, is thai Ihe slored
<br />water could be used 10 revitalize rivers
<br />and streams' Ihal become purched - aud
<br />more susceptible 10 damage - during
<br />droughl years,
<br />Several of those in allemlance Friday
<br />said the idea sounded good hul ques,
<br />tioned whether 11 could ever be
<br />embraced here.
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<br />(,..aIaveros Counly Supervisor Paul Slein
<br />said he could U1Ink of Sl!Vf!raI potential
<br />headwaler slorage 10000doll8, but !Ill' ~ <.
<br />willtin designaled wilderness areas, which
<br />receive special prolection.. :', ' ,~':,<,: ,
<br />"You would have environmentaUslS
<br />Slacked uI' three deep' all' the ~l!Y
<br />through town IclUng yon wbyyou coUld- ,
<br />n'l do that:' Stein said, ''i.:' .
<br />John Buckley, of Ihe Cenlral Sierra' ,
<br />Envimnmenlal Resource Cenler, did not
<br />allend Friday's meeling bul said It would
<br />be "lolalJy inappropriate to mess up the
<br />wilderness ecolOgy-simply to try and do
<br />some waler manipulations' for down-
<br />stroanl users."
<br />Miller told the group dIal more water
<br />slorage Is needed because existing dams
<br />eventually will outlive their usefulness.
<br />"Unless we do soDtedting.." he said, "we're
<br />going 10 end lip with more people and
<br />less water slorag.~."
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<br />FOR HoME DELIVERY OF THE RECORD. . . CALL 948-1702
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