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<br />'.......r <br /> <br />, <br />, . <br /> <br />Monday. February 25, 1991 <br /> <br />THE DENVER POST <br /> <br />RYAN McKIBBEN <br />Executive Vice President and General Mansger <br />RICIlAI\D lACOBS <br />Senior Vice PresJden4 Administration and Operations <br />I'IlANK DIXON. VPOperailans <br />KIRK MuOONALD. VP AdI'e1tising STEVE HESSE. VP (In,uJailan <br />!'11m ANDEIl.!iON. VP Mnance KEN CALHOUN, VP M8rk'ting <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />WILLIAM DEAN SINGLETON, Chairman <br />DONALD F. RUNT, Publisher <br /> <br />. . <br /> <br />. " <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />F. GILMAN SPENCER <br />Editor <br /> <br />CHUCK GIIEEN <br />Editororthe Editcrial Page <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />GAY COOK <br />Managing Editor <br /> <br />WILLIAM H. HORNBY <br />Senior EditOr <br /> <br />ForciJ;1g California's hand <br /> <br />IN OFFERING to give some sur- <br />I?lus water to California this <br />year it it agrees to curb its de- <br />mands in the future, Gov. Roy Ro- <br />mer is being both neighborly and <br />shrewd, <br />Clearly, the drought in California <br />- now in its fifth year- is devel- <br />oping into a real crisis, and the <br />state can use whatever outside help <br />it can get. But it's also true that Los <br />Angeles has been overdosing on <br />Colorado River water for some <br />time, and this eventually will pro- <br />voke a nasty confrontation with <br />Colorado and the other. upstream <br />states if cutbacks aren't made, <br />, Romer has proposed an arrange- <br />ment under which the L,A. water <br />district, in effect, could borrow <br />Some' 400,000 . ae'i'e-feet of water <br />from Colorado's liquid bank 'ac- <br />count in Lake Mead for emergency <br />use this year. That's more than the <br />Denyer area's normal annual con- <br />sumption, In exchange, California. <br />. weuld have to agree to cut its year- <br />ly demand by twice that amount <br />over time, to 'assure that other <br />states in the Colorado River basin <br />wouldn't be depriyed of their right- <br />ful enttllements, . <br />It looks like a good deal for Colo- <br />rado, since this is water Colorado <br />doesn't need and can't use anyway, <br /> <br />Moreoyer, such a swap now might <br />lessen the need for further storage <br />in the future, since it would guaran- <br />tee tluit water now ayailable. in Col~ <br />orado would remain so, <br />But in lecturing California on <br />the ne<!d for more responsible wa- <br />ter use, Colorado can't afford to <br />appear arrogant. As Romer .eon- <br />ceded in a letter to California Gov. <br />Pete Wilson, the Golden Sta te is <br />.. already taking some major <br />steps," including the eonyersion of. <br />agricultural water to municipal <br />use -an approach that Colorado <br />has only begun to explore. <br />In addition, Romer ought to k.eep. <br />an open mind on the question of. <br />leasing Colorado water to Califor- <br />nia or other downstream states, as <br />suggested last week by V,S, Rep, <br />Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who rep- <br />resents Colorado's Western Slope, <br />As long as the state's overall al- <br />lotment;;remained inviolate, and <br />such trKnsfers were monitored by <br />state authorities, the prospect that <br />some water might be sold to irri- <br />gate golf courses in San Diego in- <br />stead of broccoli fields in Delta <br />shouldn't be overly threatening - <br />especially if Colorado laws were <br />strengthened to require that cities <br />help farmers saYe as much water <br />as they intended to export. <br />