WSP02201

• File Number: 8200.766
• Description: Gunnison River General Publications-Correspondence-Reports
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 1/1/1984
• Author: Various
• Title: CRWCD Publications - Waterlogue-1984 - Compensatory Storage-1985 - Waterways-1985 Annual Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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10. Citiu'n Commiltt"es. There was an association of
Owens Vall('\' residents in the 19405: then> is a Concernt'd
Citizens of 'Owens Valle\" tOOa,'. Western Colorado's
roster is Il:'gion and includes a protective assodation. a
~'TOUp of high-country ...il-,rilanws in the 19.'jOs and an
advisory council now.

I I. NappinJ{ Loculs. All land and watf>r rights were
Se<:uroo for the Los Angeles aqueduct in OWf:'ns Valley
before an\"onp from Owens Valle,' knt~W who had done
it and what the real purrKlS€' was. The first ....TilLen
acknowledgl'ml>ht of t-he ramifications of the ~loffat
watt'r tunnel to \\"pstern Colorado \"et disco\"en."li follow
the holing through of that tunnei by several years.

12. Dewlltf'rin.lo: A" Growth Control. SomE' long time
OWl'ns Valley rl'sidents were quotro as expressing. in
n.'trospt-Cl. h'TUlitude for the dewatering Ix"(:ause it
l'liminatt'd thl, population crush that would han' surely
othern;se come to t-he onee lush valle,'. In Wlo'sU>rn Colo.
rado. there are "''TOUps and individuals .....ho fight WatN
projrt'ts desib'llOO to bem.fit the fe!".;on ....ith substantially
greatt'r Whl'mence than projl1".'[s that dt:......au..r the n'!"rion.
13. Justification. Wht-'n H()o~\"elt seallod the fate of
Owens Valley. he citl'tf. "thl;' infinitel.... ~'Teatcr inlf'rests
to Iw Sl'rnod," An L.A. Water and Po.....er official said,
"It comt>s do.....n to a quest-ion of bem'fiting 3 million
pt'ople in Los An/,,",Aes or 15.000 in OWt'h..<; Valley." AlTOSS
tht' past .')O.,'pars. tht' samt. premist' has bt>t>n uSf'd by
lh'h\w.

14. A",rricultural J)('Clinp. O.....pns Vallt'y Ohl't' produeffl
prize winning apples. grain. ('Orn. watermelon and a
range of other l"fOpS no ]ongt'r produeed there. West~rn
Colorado is famous for iL., IX'aches. apples. ehl'mes. pears
and more. That .\It'Sa Cuuht'.....11I ne...er st-'t' another half.
million.bushel.ypar on fWU(:hes ag-ain cannot bl' laid
dirt'(.t]y at lhl' door of Denver. Ilo.....e...er, Denver has
dl?wat€rt>d SOOlf' lands diret.t]y and g\'nt'rally roouM the
a\"ailablp .....atf'r suppl..... Every major .....at-t'r user. par-
tinllarh" thoSt, pxtraeting .....ater from tht' hasin. are din't't
contnt;u[.ors to oC'l'Ufrt'n(:es such as an oil shale mmpan....
dr....ing up om' raneh and a domt'stic .....1.ltN district dry-
ing up t W(l otht'rs. to ohtain 1.ldpqullt-e waIN supplips in
the basin.

15. EmirnnmentaJ Cun"'traintlo;. California is the birth-
plaet' of the organizt'd l'nvironnwntal mO\'emcnt and a
pionrt'r in em'ironmentaJ la...... Despite some suceesst's
bv Owens VaJlt'\" ihtt'rt'sts in courl. tht're has Ill'l'n no
stopping or slo....mg Los Angvles. Indl'l>d. the wat('r lewl
in tht' uniqut' and l-'h\ironmentally i1Cdaiml'<.i :\tono l..akl;'.
north of OWt'ns Vallf...... b no..... I.lein,l! IOWNt"li by Los
Ang~'les. Colorado. ir};{>lf an eh\ironml>ntall.... aWare stau>
....ith a governor In match. has offt'n>d little resist-anct'
to environmt'ntally dl'\"ast-.:ning transmountain .....ater
di,'ersions.

W. Ethics. Officialdum. J. p. I.ippincott, the U.S,
Hf'f.'lamation St>r\"ln' l'ngint1.'r. who .....as suppost'd to he
working on a fl'(:]amarion project for the Owens \'allt.y.
was instead c()n~piring with I.o~ :\ngple~ and reputt'd
to bt, on its pa,Holl sinlUhaneously. I.ippincott ]att'r
opmly joined the L.A. -"taff and Sf'rved Dem'er as .....ell.
analyzing- prosp"'l.:tivt:' transmoumain din'rsion projl"Cts
for the (Juf'f'n City. ~latt' and tl><1eraJ official... haw Ix~n

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accused of compli:::ity \\.ith Los Anl,,7f.>!es: certainly t-ht're
is no record of agencies from either level rising t.o Owens
ValIey's defenSf'. Gt.'orge Bull. who conducwd several
major benchmark studies for Denver's West-pm water
gathering effort. in the 1930s served as acting director
of the Colorado Public Works Administration. appar.
entlya funnel for federal WPA money. The position was
kl'v oc't.'ause a rush was on staL-e\\.idf' to obtain wat('r
project financing. .\lills Bunger. a senior ('nbrioE'er for the
Burt'au of Reclamation. was in fact a transmountain
water divt'rsion promoter while at t-he HUf"l.>au and after.
Dr. Elwood Mead. commissioner of n'Clamation: Dr.
Charles Lory. president of Co]orado Agrirult-ural CoUege;
and ~I.c. Hinderlidt'r, state engint:'('r, Wen' just a fe.....
more state and federal officials .....hose positions dict.at.ed
impartiality. but .....hose motives and practices .....en.
questiont:"li as being favornblf' l-o Front Hange interests.

Ii. I-:A'onomic Limitations. Essentialk lourism is the
on].... industrv in OWl'ns Valley. Thert' ~ill be no other
industry or significant gro\\.th or change in Owens Valley
....ithout the express permission of Los :\ngples because
that is the only place the wat~r for such can come from.
In a rect:'nt intervie...... a Kodak official gave an assured
water supply as one of the main reasons for the com.
pany's mo"e to Windsor. A St-auffer Foods official. in
diSCUssing that company's selt:'('tion of Utah over Grand
Junction for a major food proet'ssing plant, cited ade-
quat.e water supply as a major consideration. Some 25
ypars ago. Cro.....n.Zelll'rhach proIKlsed a paper mill for
Grand County. The county favored the project, which
sef'ml>d assure<!. umil Deh\'l'r obfuscated thl' issue of
adL'quatR water supplies for operations from GrE'en
.\lountain lteser\"oir.

18. :\IPdia Role. The rolL, of the Los Angeles Times
owners in the Owens VallI.')" affair was at least key, if
not pn>dominant. since some gi\"e I farT}' Chandler of the
Times complete credit. The Los Angeles Times is the
flag-ship of Otis Chandler's Times-~lirTor Company.
which now owns The Denver Post.

19. Expansion ,. Conservation. A California Depart-
mt'nt of \\'att!r H~soun't?S n>port .....as cited as saying that
one brick in ever:'>' toilet in Los AnW]es would be enough
to san .\tono Lake. Additional effidencit's. such as
improved p]umhing de\ices. mort' cart'fuJ irrigation and
more cir}'.climate plants. were also cited as perhaps
modestly rt'w8tt'ring Owens \'alley. Dpnver has some
89.000 unmPterro houS('holds and the Qu('en City's 0\\.11
reports dating back to 1922 indicate a sa,ings of 33~
....ith metering of domestic users.

20. Continuum. Los Angeles mnfooeraL-es began mov-
ing on O....'en$ Valley around 1903. Construction began
in 190~ and was complNro in 1913. As nl't'd increased
so did diversions. Dt."spite aUgIlwntation from the Co]o-
rado Hiver acqueduct. a second Owens Valley aqut'duct
.....as constructed and once surfaa' .....ater draining wa..
<:ampINe. In"ound water was pumped from the valley.
Currently, Los Anh"t'les is reat'hing further north. past
thl! Valley. to ~1ono I..ake. Den\"er t'ngin~ring studies
conducted beginning around the 1910s drew first aim
at the mountains and indudf.>d jealous passages on Los
Angelt's' accomplishments. Tht' Hoberts Thnnel was
bt>ing considen>d before the :\loffat Thnnel was com-
piNed and less than 30 years separate first delivery of
water from t'ach. "Ow. 1\>':0 Forks looms.

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