|
<br />.
<br />
<br />\
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />.'
<br />
<br />j~/li,)'. -'I '
<br />"Sunday, April 10, 1994
<br />
<br />Reallocation of water
<br />f JrPtay dissolve compact
<br />.~;~torage obstacles raise stakes for Colorado
<br />
<br />""By Jennifer Gavin a market through which water
<br />Denver Post Cepltol Bureau could be' bought and sold among
<br />,"\ "'As political currents nibble at the compact states. It's feared that
<br />:~~. '" Colorado River Compact - in- . wIIl eventually repla~e or break
<br />o~ uding talk of U.S. Senate hear- down the c. ompact, which dates to
<br />I '~ D within a few months - Colo- the 1920s. Such a market could be
<br />I :~~do water .officia'ls are nervous created at least three ways:
<br />),!:~ut possible fallout, ,tho~gh . The Celitral Arizona. Project,
<br />I some say change may be mevlta-, a financially troubled water stor-
<br />ie. . '. ..' age project whose overseers see
<br />'imdC~ffed ili its ability to store' other states'demand for water to
<br />I ch onto, allocated water be- buy as a way to bail out the CAP.
<br />'use it is barred from building Some Clinton administration offi-
<br />I uch projects as the halted Two cials, including Interior Secretary
<br />. orks dam, COlOflldo may need to Bruce Babbitt, hail from Arizona
<br />pe open-mindea ahout a fresh look. and may be pressing for policy
<br />/. . t Its Colorado River share, says thaI t wFil.I Phromoted such interstate
<br />hips Barry,. manllger of the Den- sa es, ISC er sat.
<br />'r Water Department. .. Several Indian tribes with wa-
<br />a.rry, ...,.ho\was voicing his opin- ter. rights a!ong the Co!orado,
<br />. -"- the Denver Water Board whose authority as sovereign na-
<br />!l't taken a formjll stand on the tioris may exempt them from at-
<br />es he discussed - said "Peo- tempted "federal or state control
<br />'don't want to hear th~t. But over possible water sales,
<br />ebody's going to force us' to . The controversial Roan Cnlek
<br />at it," perhaps as soon as mid- project near DeBeque, whose
<br />e, when Barry who has been in- backers proposed construction of a
<br />ed that U.S. Sen..Bill Bradley, Nevada-financed piping system
<br />N,J" who sits on Ii key environ- based in Colorado. to store, for lat-
<br />ental sUbcommitiee, will hold er use in Nevada, .water based on
<br />arings on water allocation rights owned by Chevron USA and
<br />ong the seven states in the Col-. Getty Oil Exploration Co.
<br />lido River Compact. "Colorado has the most com-
<br />nolly Fischer of Grand Junc- pact-allocated I'olorado River wa-
<br />. ,secretary-engineer of the Col- . ter . . . tilat is h_, being put to ben-
<br />;lido Rive! Water Conservation encial use," Fischer said! and
<br />. trict, said many Colorado wa- therefore might be grabbed many
<br />Ii: officials oppose the creation of reconfiguratioll of the compact.
<br />
<br />;
<br />i
<br />/
<br />
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />~teYp~
<br />
<br />! criticized.
<br />I
<br />I
<br />
<br />i
<br />p
<br />I
<br />,
<br />
<br />WATER from Page 1A
<br />
<br />support a booming metropolis, G
<br />place made habitable by the inven.
<br />tion of air conditioning and the si.
<br />phoning of the Colorado River.
<br />"You can't expect that this com.
<br />munity, all these new. people and
<br />a.ITthese babies and these families.,
<br />ate going "to just go away," Sllid
<br />~. tricia Mulroy, ge. neral manager
<br />o ti!e Southern Nevada Water Au-
<br />'t ority, the water agency for the
<br />s Vegas metropolitan area.
<br />l "The old institutions of the West
<br />have got to change."",.. ,..'., .
<br />lStill, there is a mi;"i,;!ty'iii'Las'
<br />\1>gas who, viewing the explosive
<br />growth tIIat is transforming their
<br />c!ty, see water a.s ,II way to rein in
<br />growth. .
<br />: In additio1j, thotisandsof poople
<br />h~ve filed complaints against the
<br />groundwater plan an<\the propos-
<br />eo Virgin River dam, both' of
<br />winch could face court challenges
<br />aM federal opposition, . '.
<br />! Las Vegas is trying to esia.blish
<br />an urban alliance witll Southern
<br />Ca'ifornia, the biggest consumer
<br />of Colorado River water, to reduce
<br />tile grip that agriculture has had
<br />o~ the river's ,water.. .',
<br />I California uses nearly a tltird. of
<br />tlie allotment for the seven states
<br />~. the Colorado River basin. '.
<br />Critics of Las Vegas'. plans say it
<br />uld be much easier for tile city
<br />tpositi?n, itself in the forefront of
<br />c ange If It was not such a water
<br />glutton. " '"
<br />j Giving the city more water, they
<br />s9Y, would be like giving acompul-
<br />sive gambler another roll of silver
<br />dollars,. ..... "
<br />:In the .last.10 years,h~using de-
<br />velopmentswith'/Iames like Mari-
<br />ners Cove have oeen;biiiIt around
<br />artificial lakes dug into the Neva-
<br />: da sand.
<br />I ; English lawns with grass the
<br />I cp.lor of the Olympic rain forest
<br />\ c~rpet new neighborhoods in a
<br />I place where summer tempera-
<br />: t,res routinely reach 110 degrees.
<br />.\ !The latest additions to the Las
<br />\ Y.-egas Strip, the to'urist mecca, in-
<br />~ elude a replica of the Nile River a
<br />f,ux Grand Canyon with white-wa-.
<br />: t~r rides and a moat holding giant
<br />\ pirate sltips. . .
<br />t : Every day, Las' Vegas nses more
<br />, than 300 gallo!ls of water per capi-
<br />. "hl, nearly twice the national aver-
<br />age. . ,
<br />; The Las V egas ~mourit is almost
<br />t~ree times. that of other arid cit-
<br />i,s like Los Angeles and Tucson.
<br />
<br />!
<br />\
<br />f
<br />I
<br />j
<br />t
<br />i
<br />,
<br />,
<br />\
<br />,
<br />,
<br />,
<br />\
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />\
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />!
<br />I
<br />;
<br />
<br />
<br />)/
<br />, I
<br />!
<br />I
<br />I
<br />\
<br />I
<br />\
<br />j
<br />,
<br />,
<br />\
<br />\
<br />\
<br />., \
<br />i
<br />\
<br />
<br />~
<br />
|