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

while every stt'p of thl' more than :WO main stf'm miles
in Western Colorado offE'rs an opportunity for partial
re-us(>. the tOtal dfl"l't is about thn"t' acre fl't.'t. Thus. in
19i8. when transmoumain diverters took 634.760 acre
fl'€t across tht, divide. that had the impact of remO\'ing
the uS{' of 1.904.21'<0 acre feet from the hasin.
3. Then' art:' thresholds ....'ith rt:'g"ard to air and wakr
quality standards. sl'wage treatnwnt and watN filtra.
tion costs. endangered spel'ies mitigation and the like.
Beyond theSE' thresholds. any projl'(.t dt;'w]opment
bt'l'omes more exp.msiw, and twyond that. projt-('ts can.
not he den-loped at all. The building toward thest>
thresholds by transmountain diversions is a major f,l('-
tor in the cost and ft'asihilily of projl'Cts proposed by
and for Westt:'rn Coloradans. In effect. trans mountain
water din-ners havt'. with impunity. increasoo tlw
burdt'n on Western Coloradans. Spl"C,..ifieally. the removal
of major quantitil's of the basin's PUff'st walt'rs from
its ht'ud.....att>rs brings ahout a w-jdl' range of impaets in
the basin. including hut not umtlod to: dl'C'rl:'asl.u crop
production. diminishl-d fisheries. increased watN treat-
mt'nt costs, a poorer range of n'lTf'ational t'xpt'ril'nces,
increased t'apital costs for water and Sl'w..r plants. ami
more.
.1. Although thl' transmnumain di\"erll'r is a maior
USi'r of Colorado Hi\'t'r .....ater Ir{'('ent ranw': 28.:1'"(,' to
.'i:3<;( of state line flow 1 and many transmountain din'r-
sions aw junior to Wl'Stcm Colorado rights, thl' trans\'t'r-
sions. oncl' tran,<;\'crtt-'<!. are ph~'sicaily immune fmm
helping to TnP('( a compact mil.
5. The t'('onomit. impact due to water shortage in
Weswrn Colorado is st.agg'Pring. Thl' imp,wt is. of cour><('.
gTt'alest on thE' re/..rion itst'lf. but reaches J)l'n\'er .lnrl
other parts of thl' state and tht. nlltion. ,\t som!:' poiOl
in thl' futun'. \\"estt'rn Co]ormlo will playa key roll' in
ffiet:'ting tht' nation's (<nl'rl-.'Y supply. if it has not IIt'l'n
entirely crippled by water e;;hortages, Dem'l'r ~rn's as
the capital. sen'in' and supply centt'f, and corporate
hl'adquarters for much of thl' ani\'ity in \rt'~tl'rn Co]o-
rado. Indl'lod. much of thl' statp's prootlction of nl'W
wealth: minerals. foft.st products. crops. and !i\'estock.
is prodUClod in \\'l'st('m Colorado ....ith a rplalt'li t'l'onomic
nenefit to "refint'rs and handlers" in Dem'('r, \\'hile it
is in Den\'t'r and Colorado's iOlt'rest to make sun' that
\\'('stern Colorado's {'('onom\' n'mains \'iabll' and is not
l'ripplt>d by dewatl'ring. the in1pa("(~ v.'ill tit:. St'\'t'f(' In
\\'estern Colorado when. the top thn't' induHries: <l/..'Ti'
culture, ft-cfl'atiofllOurism and mining dl.pt'nd hl'a\-ily
on adequate watN supplit'S.
6. Tourism. aesthl'tic,<;. riparian habitat and \irtually
all living things in \\'l'stern Colorado suffl'r on a scalp
that increas('s as transmountain din-rsions incfl'aSt'
v.ithout adequalR compensatory slora!--'\'. I n this rl'gard,
a dying riparian habitat. diminished tourism. a
dl'tl'riorating quality of life ~ allli\'ing things on thl'

wl'stt'rn slope - would st-'€n1 f>t.Ul'r se-rwd by healthy
stn'.ams, perhaps bener S('r\"ed by utilization of watl'r
in the lowpr basin. rather than Eastern Colorado. The
primary diffE'renl"e t}(>t.....l~'n use of Western Colorado
water in Den\"t;'r as compart->d ....ith San Diego, is that
in the latlRr. the watN passes through Western Colorado.

7. Om' of thl:' primary purpost'S of the Colorado Hiwr
Compact of 192~ and thl:' Uppt'r Colorado Hiver Com.
pact of 19--1... was to assure some opportunity for slowl'r
dl'veloping states. to pro\'ide some prott'C"tion to thost."
not de\'l'loping as rapidly as others, Ironically, though
Colorado is a Colorado Hi\'l'r basin statl;' onl\" hv \irtut>
of its Wl'stt'rn slope. that pt)rtion of thl' state is not
affordt'li th.. san1(' prot.{--'(.tion by thl' n>St of thl:' stat~' that
the statl' is affordt'd by t"Ompacl.

~. Since the days of the company towns. extractors
of nUneraJ or natural wealth haH' l'oml' to expt"Ct to pay
thpi! way \'inuall.\" I;'\'..ry major dp\"(']OPN of any sort
in Wl'SH'rn Colorado ha.'i pro\'idt'd impact mitigation.
l'ompensation or an OffN of sharing in tht' burdens and
h.,'nl'fits. f'XCl:'pt D'>Jl\'t'r, and 10 a Il'sSl'r de/..'Tl~'. Colorado
Springs. AUrora. Thin Lakes and Pueblo. In this rl'gard.
morp consideration has t>f'l'n shown \\"estern Colorado
b.\" multi national corporations and a Utah power
cno[)O.'rati\"e, among othl'rs. than the {Jul't.n City of thl'
Plains. Colorado's Capital. Tn mitigutl' impact of a mal
mint' near Hangt'ly and a power plant in Utah. Dpspret
(;ent'ration and Tran~mus.."ion mudE' a lump sum paym..nt
to Hio Blanco County and Hang-e]y totaling nl:'ar Sl7
million, i'N, tht' impact of tht, DeS{'rN opt'ration doesn't
comparl' to thl' mor.. than thn'"l' million anl' ff>et taken
from \\"estNn Colorado by IJt'nwr. Through dirl'(:t t"On'
tributions. oil shall' trust fund, minerall..asing moni('.'i
and st'\'pranl'l' tax..s, energy and mining companies from
Exxon to \\'('srmoreland. Union Oil to Ener/..~' Fuels.
h<l\'p ("ontributl'li h'ns of millions of dollars to slopt.'
towns Hnd countip~ for roads. hospitals. schools and a
wide range of othl'r prnjt'(.ts tll ohviah' the impacts of
tht' projt'l.'ts. lIowpn'r. all of tht'st' t'nlo'rw.. and mining
C'ompanil's comhined do not nl'gatively impact man and
all otht'r h\'ing things in Wl'~h'rn Co]orudo as much as
thl' rl'/..ri()n'~ dt'wutf'ring. And fur that. savl' ~orthl'rn
Colorado and tht-' Soutlll'astt'tll watl'r l"On~l'n'iJI1l'\'
districts. there ha~ ht't'n nn mitigation of iln\" sort.
whatso(.\'t-'r. '

!J. '-lost si~rnifirant are tht:, Iitt]e, personal impacts.
th.. hottom lim's 10 all of Iht, ahoH'. Those impacts arl'
lhf" r..rurn of We"tt'rn Colorado to il rt'/..rion in which thl'
young must leaH' ht'{'auSl' theft. an' no l'l'onomic oppor-
tunitil's - t.lt't'auS{' thl'rt' is no watlo'r to float sUl'h oppor-
tUnitll~. TIlt' impacl is oppn'ssivdy high wat.t:'r and S(>Wl'r
rates on thl' Ont' hand and widespf(.ad SOl'ial and
Konnmit' sta~rnation on tht' nrhl'r, ..\nd. thl' hOltom limo
ma\" look Iikt' anoth..r con\'f'rsinn. It mav ]ook like tht.
conn'rsinn of what was a naturalh- drv 'San Fernando
\'allt'.\" and what was ;1 nalurall~' iush' OWl'ns \'alll'Y.

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Thr Colorado Rin'r Watrr Conservation D;~tric1.
CTe~Ied~' ,he "all" '~U1ture in J937, It. 'he primAry
14'atrr resourcr and poliey .geney lor Moff.'. Routt.
Gr.nd, Garfield. Rio Blanco, ugle. Summit. Me_.
Delt., Pitldn. Gunni~on .nd Our.y Counties plus
portions 01 Montro~e, Hinsd.dp and S.guac:hr.

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