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<br />. Water foestoargue]awy~rmes
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<br />Patrick O'Orlscoll' 4ft' 3" '~u .,'. <end'~;:a,six~week trial, " , , " ' yers Cbargedih<l~iltl~I1ijlW~i'~.i:r~~s!>Jl'
<br />Denver Post Staff Wrtter, (C1 "'A.,WDf'was seeking the right to sink able," AWDJjS,,~~!~'~J/l(ft~l1p~tls orithe
<br />After,a flve-month,breather, Illwyers about 100 deep wells on its large ra,nch stand to, chal!l!i\!le,,)\'l1<llhet~the'am(lUnt of
<br />return ,to Alamo~a Water Co~rt next we,;k propertii!sin the valley, It sought to pipe time, paperwor!<;;~!1d",iln~s~!i!Ppeararices
<br />to wrangle agam ~ pote'!hally for big as much as 60 billiongallorill of groundwa~ t~e lawyersputlri,to We case .\';ere ,exces-
<br />bucks - over a controversial proposal to ter a year to the'l!'ront Range for future slve.,,,, , "",',,'__,
<br />pump anc\pipe billions, of ~allons of urban growth. , But irrigation gr,oups, Perhaps A wbrs biggest"ll'rlgulllent
<br />groundwater out of the San LUIS Valley. farmers,townsandgov~ent land man" could come, from a surprise affidavit sent
<br />At stake is more than $3 million that agers in the valley fear the pumping to the court last December by Alison May-
<br />government and private ()pponents Ameri- would dry up their"owriwells, damage the nard, a former assistant attorney general
<br />can Water Development Inc. want the agricultural economy and threaten state ,who had 'worked on the case in,its earlier
<br />Denver company to reimburse them for and ,federal lands in th~,Yalle:\". " st~ges. In her written statement, Maynard
<br />legal costs, and expert witness, fees. A WDI, has appealed!he, watercc()urt de- saId A WDI's , opponeritscould have' aSked
<br />More than,$U million coversexpe1!Ses feat to the Colora40'Suprel1j~ Court. Be- the judge back in mid-1989 to dismiss the
<br />that AWDI'spppon~pts saytheY)nCllrredclluse it left the,:~rfil:ce-'watedssue out of water-rights request on grounds, that the
<br />whiie~repariiIg f!>r:AIIIajor;,ch\lnkof~~,e ' tlie(lase it 10stj,~"'pI coul4,efile sepa- companymerely wll.~sPe~\lIi!tipg, )
<br />~ase tliat thec<<!IIIPa~ysudde1JlY, droilPj'd ratelyfor ,that'\Vllt~f: / ,:.. Denver water lawyer Bill Paddoc~,~ho
<br />Just twoweel~~:befllre last fall s water; , ':'" Nellt,weelt's.heanng"lIr "II\IUl-trlal," as represents the water users: aSSOCIatIOn,
<br />rights trill!. 'Y:/ieh 'he "Ilowed A\VDJ.toOgtiiIrnli!!s,'publ!e4,itil1egi,nS:'fuesda~ and ' said the matter "has all of the elements of
<br />drop its "tributary," or sutfac~-W,ater 'CC:>,IIIP"rtln'three days. Iillwyers fllr all of a good soap opera:. It's going to be an at~
<br />claim inCllSe,;~'t~ge Rob~rt Ogb~rn?rd~rc.*WpI's principaloppori,ents '-,the U.~. tack on the lawyers of t~e objectors: 'YlIu
<br />ed~hatt!!ei9?!9~ll!lY.r~lmburs~what,lliIgoyerl!ment,stategtc,o!0~ad~, t.he RIO spent. too,much IIIoney'.ls what (AWDI's)
<br />OPP~!!~llJ~;~~~~~,g~~t,1Dg:~radY t~argueQ~~nj!~'Wllter Consefya~!?II,pls~rl~t and song IS gomg to be:' ,
<br />aga~ns~~~"it?O~~~~n'i" ",'.'."" ,,", , ',.' .FtI~U~fande W/lter pSers;<i\SsO.ClatlOn - , "I guess our response Is, well, if they ,
<br />Thereijj.ammg.~MPi900llrmore (lOVerS a~,~l!:pected,to'te~tJfl",f' had anybody halfway (looperative on the , ·
<br />exp~tt\\"f!~~Ssl'~~S oWelIijecause AWj)I, B,6th, sides.alre!ldyljalll')'all1;eed that the other side. .. we couldbavedl?nethis for' ,
<br />lost,t!!\! r~ll:lllilliM j)/lrt ,!i~ theca.se, at t!Je ,,$101l'~ri'110ur legaqe~s the obJectors'law- a lot less expense, for a lot less'tiIlle!'
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