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,O-IZ-B5 :t ~.'.. -L,,.n~!:J,j_4'''' _ :. ~-.-Jl-UU"_""""""_",, Revised Cache La Poudre bill gains environmental support . i?'.!.fb;o By JOHN C. ENSSLlN Rocky Mountain News NO,lhern Bureau LOVCLAJ'OD - A bill to designate 75 miles of the Cache La Poudre River as "wild and scenic" has the support from W3tl't users and environmentalists that it lacked last year, Rep. Hank Brown. R-Colo., said Friday. The compromIse proposal would also leave open 7LZ miles of the river for water sturage and hydroelectric projects. "It's clearly a \'ictory for both sides," Brown said in a telephone press conference from his Washin)::ton office. "Both come out, I think, in a better situation than the,' were in before." . The Cache L1 Poudre !lows ('~5t across t~e Colorado f,laiiis to joi~ t!'!~ 3..:'utl: P!.:.lttc ~cp. Hank Bre..n and was named by early seltlers who buried a cache of gunpowder along its banks_ The congressman. who is from Gre€ley, said he was optimistic that the measure could be passed by the enaof thi.. year He said a subcommittee hearing on the bill is set for Oct. 3l. Beginning at the river's source at Poudre Lake in Rody ~1uunlain National Park, Brown's bill would prf'serve_as wild area 31 miles of the river's two forks through the town of Poudre Park. Forty.four miles of mostly downstream portions would be designated as '.recreational." Wild river areas are protected from water storage projects and are usually inaccessible except by hiking trails. A recreational river is a less restrictive designation that applies to rivers with road ac~. shoreline development and some water storage and diversi~n,. ~~ - .....~ ~ . .. .-~,... -":..~..,,,. ..-,. ~ "-"-",;,,--.. ~. ... A SImilar measure introduced by Brown last year founder<'d in a House commiltee after Sierra Club officials withheld support. Tim Johnson, a Sierra Club representatlve, said the compromise version eli:ninated the proposed Indian :-'ll'adows reservoir and was acceptable to the ('nvl. ronmt'ntal group. . The reservoir. planned for a priSlln'O', upstre.1m area near Rustic, would have required a road to bl' re- routed throu,.::h a wilderness area. "I think the SImple thing to say is that we all agree on this bill. That's the difference between this ,"car and last \.car:' Juhnson said. . Both Sides said they made major concessions dur- ing the six months of negotiatIOns on the bill. Larrv Simpson. manager of the Northern Colorado Water -Consen.-ancy DIstrict, said the compromise will increase the costs of any future water projects along the Poudre. "We could have built a better and cheaper dam upstream in some of the narrower reaches of the canyon:. Simpson said The district has not applied to build any dams on tile Poudre, but It does nave long range plans to dIvert downstream water for the Glade and Grey :l.10untain rescr'..oirs. Brown.s bIll also would authorize acquisir;on of land and right-of-ways along the ri\.er from willing private sellers. Funds for the purchase of private land would come from the Land and Water Conservation Trust Fund and would require separate legislation, Brown said. The bili cn.1nges no e,ostmg water rlgl'llS on the ri\-er and does not authorize any condemnation proce- dure to acquire land along the river corridor. It would also name the first 18 miles of the river as the "Peter H. Dominick Wild River Area.' after the late Colorado senator who sponsored a 19i3 bIll au- thorizing federal study of 12 Colorado rivers. includ- ing the Poudre. If the bill is passed, the Poudre would be the first "wild and scenic.' river to be dt'Signatcd in Color3do. n032