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<br />000544 . <br /> <br />Senator Tim Wtrth <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br /> <br />:li-J.~ <br /> <br /> <br />U.s. Senate. Washington, D.C. . 20510 <br /> <br />FOR RELEASE: <br />FRIDAY, MAY 5, 1989 <br />CONTACT: JIM MARTIN <br />303-866-1900 <br />JIM SPELLMAN <br />202-224-8582 <br /> <br />SENATOR WIRTH'S RESPONSE TO WILDERNESS WATER LETTER <br /> <br />WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Senator Wirth today released the <br />following statement as a response to the letter received today <br />from the panel which represents water development interests in <br />negotiations with conservation groups concerning wilderness water <br />TCo<;ources: <br /> <br />"I appreciate the proposal made this morning by the Water <br />Rights Negotiating Team. It is long and complicated, and will <br />take time to thoroughly analyze. But at first blush it appears <br />to represent progress in every way but one. <br /> <br />"As I read today's letter, it tracks closely with a proposal <br />that I released on March 16, which was echoed in Greg Hobbs's <br />letter to me of April 18. We agree that: <br /> <br />*** we must recognize existing water rights in <br />wilderness areas and reasonable access to maintain, <br />operate, and repair existing water facilities; <br /> <br />*** proposed wilderness areas and boundaries are well <br />defined and there are no water rights conflicts in <br />those areas; <br /> <br />*** new wilderness areas should have an express, not an <br />implied, water right that must be quantified in state <br />court and will have a junior priority date of 1989; <br /> <br />*** we should reaffirm water savings language for water <br />projects such as the Fry-Ark and Homestake projects; <br /> <br />*** we should not designate the Piedra as a wilderness <br />area; and <br /> <br />*** we can and should protect Colorado's ability to <br />develop every drop of water to which it is entitled <br />from the North Platte River; <br /> <br />(OVER) <br />