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<br />Interview With Ernie Schutz
<br />PaBosa (Archuleta County rep/SWCD)"
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<br />W7P: Here 011 t/;e milch, how do
<br />YOlt use the wate,.? To misf h,~y or
<br />ju.st pas!Ure~
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<br />Editors Note: Ernie Schutz StrutS
<br />as t1 director 011 the SoutlJw6terrl
<br />Water Comervatioll DiJtria as the
<br />repre~-olttTti{/e from ,,4rc'huletI1
<br />COllI/f)', Colorado, His family /""
<br />1i.lnch~d in the Chroma. co" area
<br />for milJ~'y )'tars.
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<br />Enll('SrJ,lJIZ
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<br />Actually rhis has gor to rhe
<br />poinr thar [he ranch is mosdy pasrurebnd. !v1osr of OUT irrigated
<br />land is just pasture,
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<br />WIP: Since your ranch has irrigation, do 'yOll have any water
<br />problems'
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<br />We have a dry well righr our here in our fronr yard, We drilled
<br />one there and didn't get Water. Then we had one out here in the
<br />back of our place, It was good for a while, and rhen ir wenr
<br />downhill umil we couldn't use it anymore,
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<br />WlP: Some people htlVe been aitiml a/the ranching business and
<br />those who raise {attic 011 the lmld. WIJtlt is your response to those
<br />i.,sues:
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<br />I don't think anybody can live on the land and nor be an
<br />environmencalisr. fu a rancher, I've tried to improve 01]1 the years
<br />we've been in the ranching business, Each season we made
<br />improvemencs at the ranch. I don't overgraze it and try my best
<br />to make it a better place, I want it to be a whole lot better for
<br />whoever inherits it tht'n it is now. And I think that is
<br />environmental.
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<br />WIP: Xm'vl" lived in Colorado for (l long time. }l.wi;e seen many
<br />changes, \Vhat is important for water users in Colorado to
<br />understand about water in the CoLorado Riller Basin?
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<br />An important point that we need to worry about here is trying
<br />to keep Colorado water for Colorado, I think ir is a very real
<br />concern that if water ever goes to California or Arizona or down
<br />the river....well, I don't think we'll ever ger it back,
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<br />WlP: Hou/ /-"fin we impro/Je the wa,ys we teLL thi' water story to the
<br />publi<,'
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<br />What I would do to berrer rell the water story is to back ir up,
<br />nor jUst have somebody talking, Perhap' a slide show or a video
<br />that could show how much water was in certain rivers at a certain
<br />time, Examples of how much water we use and why we need to
<br />be concerned about water issues. Seems like pictures do a lot
<br />more that JUSt words.
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<br />I rhink the rhing rhar we wanr done is to have people to be
<br />more a\\'are of what water actually is, We need to tell people
<br />what are the Water issues and how to conserve \VJter for the
<br />furure, MoSt people should be intereSted in saving and
<br />conserving warer if rhey rhought their offspring, kids or
<br />grand kids or grear grandkids were going to need it. {j
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<br />"WETPACK" Continued ji-Onl page 1
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<br />In addition, WETPACK is dedicated ro preserving and
<br />strengthening the area's agriculruraJ resources, Water
<br />disrricr GeneraJ .~1anageI John Porrer reporrs rhar
<br />farmers are lined up to get more water. Several years
<br />ago, when addirional DWCD projecr water became
<br />available, there was more demand rhan supply for
<br />farmers.
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<br />2, Biologisrs recommend rhat the "fish pool"
<br />stored in McPhee Reservoir for downstream fishery flow
<br />needs ar leaSt 36,500 acte.feer a year, bur the toral
<br />committed to rhar flow is Still 3,300 acre.feer shorr of
<br />rhar goal. The extra 3,300 acre. feet is presenrly being
<br />supplied by a five-year lease from the Ure Mountain
<br />Ute Tribe,
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<br />WETPACK proposes to develop that 3,300 acre.feet and
<br />possibly more [0 meet other water requests by constructing a
<br />storage reservoir on Plareau or Beaver Creek [Q catch water in
<br />years when snowmelt creares spjIls, resroring Totten Reservoir
<br />to [he irriga[ion system, perhaps building another dam near the
<br />Dove Creek Canal, and investing in cloud seeding. Others
<br />seeking more water are upstream users sllch as Rico and
<br />downsrream users sllch as San Juan County, Urah, municipalities,
<br />as well as irrigators in the DWCD water project area.
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<br />In some years, Porter noted, over 500/0 of the river's tlow spills
<br />with a high snowmelt runoff~ while there is no spill in orher
<br />years, In fact, rhe lake doesn'r fill complerely in some years,
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<br />Financing for WET PACK will come from: (a) up-fronr
<br />contributions to be made by rhe water district; (b) the owners
<br />of rhe new irrigated land; (c) the sale by rhe water district of rhe
<br />3,300 acre.feer for downstream (rhe Dolores River Instream-
<br />flow Parrnership, or "DRIP", is seeking a grant from GO
<br />Colorado and the Bureau of Land Managemenr funds from
<br />LWCF); (d) a construcrion loan will be soughr by rhe district
<br />from the Colorado Water Conservation Board; (e) contributions
<br />will come from presenr irrigared lands; and (f) an annuiry from
<br />invested cash,
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<br />John Porrer, General Manager of rhe Dolores Warer Conservancy
<br />Districr said rhar WET PACK will wotk, because ir follows the
<br />tradition of area planning and cooperarion that made creation
<br />of rhe Dolores Projecr possible; because there is a need for more
<br />warer and McPhee Reservoir is completely allocared; and because
<br />ir is offered as one all.encompassing project, a "package," For
<br />WlP: In "your mind, u,hat are the most important water issues more information call John Porter, General Manager, Dolores
<br />that we lle;d to commullimtl! to the uext generatiow? Water Conservancy District, (970) 565-7562,1\
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<br />vCl.Jt ;) I;;).
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