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<br />Transversions Without Compensation ,.., The Impacts
<br />
<br />/n ~potN' ,"ullJt'n/.", t.,,.r ,";'If't~ II". nWt'l;n#..' (;r.llu/,JUUClion. ,,'I,id, you att"IJc/t'd liI~1
<br />....'IlJIlJI.r, /II<Uf' gin'l) II1i... ~u/Jjl"'1 Ilr<ll'MJJflUllw;n cli1'f~~ifJI,1 ~umt. '11011,;1,'. 'f"lw mON~ / Il1ink
<br />of il Iht' IriON' I ilnl t'fJl,..;nn.d ,11." 'n' of tilt' 'h~""f'rll .'.;/OJlf' ~/Jt,u/d f~nli.o;l 11}f~ ~lIpporl of tl1f'
<br />l.fHn'r 1I."I...ill ."I"W.... to f/,'n'loJl tlw Colurado Il;H~r not,o;ill iI." ., ,,'h(}/f~ ."ul nol IJi"""IIW,fl; ;n
<br />otlwr II"tJrd..., IU 'If'C'f'pl tlU' ....ug,l('....tiull of .\fr. n~JlIclf'~ of ,'I,"l1r <111(1 .J~k tlral iI c(JtlJprt~/Jt>(J~iH'
<br />~1I1"1 "Y IH' milllt., "illr iI d,'", of iI!N't'rt<tining .dl uf tilt' IHJS...;hil;fit~ .md wbu/."llinJ.: tlu' n~.1Un't~
<br />ofllU' H"....in. ifllll "orl.. to if clefiniff' ohj,'c.til"t' jU~f iI.... tlU' 'n'I"Jf'~.""" \'illlf~.I' ilullwr;l)' i... c/o;n,.:."
<br />
<br />"II ~t.f.II..... 10 1I1f' tlWI lilt's,' Ir,"lIIMlJOUIIW;n (lil',.n;ion... h.1\'" N'.w/Jf'cl ."1 po;nl I.-IWN' lI.ud. of
<br />tlJf' ....,.f.nic h";Il"." of tlU' 1t"~lf'r" Slop" ;H.d ;1." ,"ltlr;Wlio"... 10 ,uuri...,.", IJI"rwn; ;Hld ~porl~lIwn
<br />,"IN'hoUIICI,o IJ(' CI'~~INJ.n'd h.,. Ilw tlin'n;iul) of "'illt.~ ,.-Iridllllilk,. our ii...hill# .../n.;III...... J-'roll'
<br />Ihi... ."'<IIulpoinl alolJl', I ff'f.f //1011 n,'slt'rll Color.u/o ;~ ;"Jiml to lu...'~ ",illiuJl." of (/ollill'!'>.
<br />I'f'~oll"lIy. I I.II.HI' of JJU lJU'ilJJ~ uf JlN'H'lIlin.:: tlwl N....uII, ,~.\f.f'IJI ",.. sugg(~.OjI,'d iI'}on~."
<br />
<br />", hilH~ N'ml .' our "'tI,'r Idll. iI .J:N'ill d,'ill of iJJlf'I'f~~I. ,t fJJOIIU'III.... t'oll...id,'rill;oll of 1\'11.11
<br />hilPI',.twd iJJ II". (JIII'n... \';,lIf'.'- in C"lifurn;iI i~ Ilu'lIIo.'" fordhl,~ ill'JJlicillicm of Ihf' Clill1gf~rs
<br />;lIh"I'f'1I1 ill allY Irilll...uuJlllllilin (lil('~ioll JJI"fJjl'c.,. . . . ..
<br />
<br />What of the fears of lransmountain diversions'? What
<br />is the stor\' of O.....ens Valley,! ":--:ot only was it the most
<br />savage water .....ar in United. States History; il pro..ided
<br />an early warning of a dislUrbing ffi(Jdern lrend - lhe
<br />inabilily of outlying communities lO prot('(..l lheir iden-
<br />lilY and lheir way of life from tH-'ing swallowoo by
<br />i\.h'gaJopolis."' null was the way an Anwrican Heritagt'
<br />author put it.
<br />
<br />The actions of Los Angeles in !.'Tabbing Owens Valley
<br />waU>r more lhan ~oo miles awa\" Wl're swifl and com-
<br />p]ph'. r\'ow. Owens Valley's fate as a colony of Los
<br />Angeles is sealed. The \"allt'y will !.'TOW or change only
<br />as Los Angeles expressly aUows il. because the cilY of
<br />angels controls most of the land and virtually all of thl~
<br />wa(('r in Owens \'aUe\". On the other hand. lhe dewaler-
<br />ing of \\"esu.'Tn Colorado by Denver and other Front
<br />Hange interests has bt't'n wadual. Instt'ad of Denver
<br />s....iftl:,O. dispatching Western Colorado to its desliny. the
<br />process has ~n drawn across the past 60 years and
<br />may nOl end for anolher 20 or 30 years.
<br />
<br />William MulhoUand, lhp Los Angeles eng;m>er and
<br />dri..ing fora' behind bolh lh(> Los An~'l'les IOwens Valley]
<br />and Colorado Hiwr aqueducls. said, "If you don'l gt'l
<br />lhe water, vou won'l need il," Ilis message was clear.
<br />ThOSl' co~unities t hal aggn'Ssively den'lop lheir waWr
<br />resources. like Denver and Los Angeles. \loiU m<<1 those
<br />rewurces. Tho!'l' Ihal don'l den-lop their resources.
<br />won't m"f'rllhl'm and ususally won"t he aware of lhe
<br />resulting losl e("(mamie opporlunitips.
<br />
<br />Bul. how much is left of the Colorado Hiwr'? How \loil]
<br />the- waler bE> shan'<i'! How "ill the shortage. the injury
<br />be- sharl'd?
<br />
<br />California l,~timatt>-::; that .U million acre ft>et [mafJ
<br />rather than 7.5 mat will be a\'ailab]e for the LIpper Ba.sin
<br />in 1990. Thi~ ....ould lea\'e 2.1 maf as Colorado's share.
<br />rather than the 3l't'l'Ph'<i ~.1-i5 maf. With the complelion
<br />of Hanh'l'ly Ht'~t'n'oir and assuming completion of thl'
<br />Dallas Ctl't'k and Dolort's projl'Cls. Colorado depletions
<br />
<br />- Frank Delaney letten. 1935
<br />
<br />from the basin will totaI2.0(M),OOO acre feet. Also. Colo-
<br />rado's share of main sk'm storagl' evaporation is cal.
<br />culated at about 270.000 acre feet. Furthermore. there
<br />arl' nint' Western Colorado proit-'<"ts that are aggres-
<br />si....ely being pursued by \\' estern Colorado interests.
<br />The nine. which include several projects authorized by
<br />Congress. total 715,600 acre fl'et. While all of theSl' pro-
<br />jects may not be constructl'<i. there are many. many
<br />other smaller projects dt'signl>d for municipal. indus-
<br />trial and agricultural purposes that will be built. Thus.
<br />while California believes Colorado's share will come to
<br />2.1 Olaf. and Colorado helie....es its share will comE' to
<br />2.85 maf. 2276 is already depleted and anticipated pro-
<br />jtocts would make it 2,992 maf. ~'Iost si!{Tlificantly. thosE'
<br />numbers make no provision for special depletions
<br />resulting from oil shale development. other natural
<br />resource d(>V(.lopment. major recreational develop-
<br />ment.'. or major additional transmountain diversions.
<br />
<br />The impacts, lhl' injuries: some subtle. some ob..ious:
<br />some sustained for man.... \'ears. some \'et to bE> suffered;
<br />include the follo"ing: - - .
<br />
<br />1. Transmountain watl'r run>rsions exagb,,,€,rate lhe
<br />exlrl'fnes of nature in lhe basin of origin. As an example.
<br />in the droughl water \'ear of 1977. when onl\' 1.852.000
<br />acre fl'{'l were measu.red on tht' Colorado liiver at lhe
<br />Ulah slaLl' line. lransmountIDn water di\'ert.ers look
<br />523.377 aert:' feel. a number ('Qual lo 28.3'1 of the
<br />measured flow. In the wet water vear of 1983. when
<br />K,033.000 acre feet Wl're mea<rured at the slale line. trans.
<br />mountain water din'rsions had droppt>d to -126,;12 acre
<br />feel. a number equal lO 5.3'1: of lhe measured flow,
<br />Relalive to the lOlal flow, the amount lake-n bv
<br />lransverters was fin' times more in a dry year than It
<br />was in a wel yNlr.
<br />
<br />2. Bf'('ause of the re-use faclor across a couple of hun.
<br />dred. ri\"l'r miles in Weslern Colorado. lhe di\"l'rsion of
<br />one acre foot from lhe basin headwalers has the l~ffecl
<br />of laking thrt'e acre- fl't't from lhe entire basin. That is.
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