WSP02201 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

L 0.."'1 egislation, negotiations, mitigation, etc. Activities bet.....een Eastern and Westf."f"n Coloradans over watN in 1985 WNe- widp.ranging and in. tense. The .vear began with a ma. jor push for mitigation of all transmountain water diversions including the River District's resolv(. to assist Eaglp Count)" in the local land use permitting pro. cess on thE:' 2:J,OOO.acre-foot Homestake II. Thf-' River District rese.....ched, produ('{'d and wid{'l,y distributed a publication detailing the many major impacts of transmounlain water diversions and the history of transversions in Colorado. (Thp publication is available free on n>. qut"sU Tnt" campaign was part of a larger errort: ohtain mitiRation requirf'd b,y stalutf's from tht, 1985 Colorado G(>nt>ral Assembly, At the samt> time, Dl"nvt>r area watl'r supplit>rs WE'rt' seeking a metropolitan water financing authority act to facilitate thl'ir major construction plans. AI. though the Wl'st slopt' is outgun. nt'd 10.to.l in tht' lE'gislaturt>, the River District's intense effort equalized W('stt'rn Colorado's underdog status: the compen. satory stora,'W or mili~ation bill died in committel'; the Dl'nver metropolitan financing bill died in committee; House Bill 1088 was adoptl'd. If the Colorado Water and Power Dt'\"elopment Authori- ty puts monE'Y into an Eastern Colorado .....ater project. it .....ill put an equal amount into a \\'l'stern Colorado project. 1088 no..... rl" quirl's. The IE'gislature overrode the governor's veto of 1088. The River District joined othl'rs in financial support of a consul. tant group sen'ing as mediators in bringing together the different .....ater interE'sts of the stall': Denver, the :-'ll'tropolitan area providers, th(' environmental caucus, :-;'orthern Colorado \\'ater Conservanc)' District, and the po~erful ~Il'tropolitan Dt>nvl'r Homl'builders Assn., the latler be- ing most concl'rned about a Denvpr area tap.gap. As negotia- tions .....ere being sched uled, the River District {'ailed a meeting of all \\' estern Colorado groups related to the watN situation. At that meeting, reprt>sentatives of municipal and industrial users on tht> Colorado Rivt'r, the recreation and environmental communities, headwaters counties and Grand Vallt'y irrigation users came tORether, and essentially thrust the leadership position upon the River District. A diverse negotiating team was created. The objectives .....ere to assist Denver and the metropolitan arl'a providl'rs in soh'ing their short term wakr needs; to delve into the size, operation and timing of a T\\'o Forks Reservoir. if ant> is found to be necessary: to seek remedies for present and future damages to Western Colorado as a result of transversions: and to look into l'liminating future trans- mountain water diVl'rsions. Throughout the year, the River District maintained close com. munications with and reciev('d valuablt' assistan('e from se....eral mt'mbt'rs of the state Congres. sional delegation and the unified \\'t'stern Colorado legislati....e delt'gation. As a result of the stakt's invoh'ed, formN Stat(' Rep. Jim Robb .....as retained by tht. Ri....er District in 1985 exprt'ss- Iy to assist in the legislatin ef. fort. River District board members and staff remained ac. tively invloved in the Go\'ernor's ~1l'tropolitan Water Round Table and the Dl'nver watN supply s)'stemwidl' environmental impa('t statt:'ment process,. Roland C. Fischer, the River District's secrt'tarY-t'ngint'l>r. devt'lopt'd an 5 "Interbasin :-"litigation Plan" in. \'olving: a nt'\\' state funding mechanism, crt'ation of an inter. basin mitigation trust fund, reac. tions to compact calls and conser- vation programs in various basins. (lnterbasin :-..titigation Plan, in detail, availabl{' free on request.) The plan bl"came a part of the Rivt>r District's effort in se{'king a fair shak{' for Western Colorado in the ll'gislature. Also in 1985, Northl'rn Colo. rado's Windy Gap Transmountain Project was dedicatt'd and provid. l'd complete mitigation for Western Colorado (See "Azure- Rock Crt>l'k", Page 21. Windy Gap waters as .....ell as thost' from Rock Cret'k. Williams Fork, Green ~lountain, Dillon and several others art' among those being con- sidered for possibll' joint use by those on both sides of the Con. tinental Divide. There were nt>gotiations on such projects and neRotiations ovt>r the aftermath of ~ ~ -. iI ~. . " ...- " '" ,-. i- jI;---.......