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<br />"'.... ., <br /> <br />A History of Promises <br /> <br />Comlwnsatory SlOrag-e, or consideration of om' hasin <br />hy anothN. i~ not ani....... ("onn'pl. I nd('('(l. it is oldpr than <br />all of tht:' l'OnS,,"fvam'\' distri<'ts in thl:' state of Colorado <br />and at I~'ast half as old as thf' s[at(, itself. It began with <br />ypars of informal. frit'ndly nl:'gotiations ht't....et'n people <br />from Wt'stern Colorado and .\'orthern Colorado as a <br />result of the latter's dt'sirf' to build what bt.'{"amt:' the <br />Colnrado--Big Thompson. flistory ......as made on June II. <br />193i whpn Chark~ Hanst'n. .\toses E. Smith and Thomas <br />A. .\'ixon. repn'S('nting the Northern Colorado Watt'r <br />Users '\ssn.: Silmon Smith and Clifford H. Stom'. repre- <br />senting thl:' \\'estern Slopto' Prott'{,ti\"t:, Assn.: and, A. C. <br />Sudan. rf'prt'S('nting {irand County. siJ.,'Tled off on ll'lu>rs <br />of submittal to Intl'rior St.''(:retarv Harold I.. Ickes in a <br />packa!-.,'l' that lx,\'amt' St'nau' Do('ument :--;ro. 80. tht' birth <br />of lht' Colorado-Big Thompson Projfft and the formal <br />adoption of till:' wnct'pt of cornpt'nsatory storagE' hy tll{' <br />U.S. ConJ..'TPss. Befort' and aftN. dir(-"(,tlv and indirt'{"th'. <br />by It'uders throughoulthe SUitt> and I)(.riwr. the promiSe <br />of compensatory storagt', of consid('ration to ont' hasin <br />hy anotht'r. has llt't'" madt>. <br /> <br />* * * <br /> <br />Aft('f It'nJ..rthy nt'gotiations. in 1H6t'. tht' t.'ntirt' stah' <br />of Colorado joint'(l in support of tht, Colorado ltiwr Basin <br />Projt~'t ..\cl. which would enablp bOlh Arizona and Colo- <br />rado to u:o;t. substantiall.... 1110re of tlll'ir eornpiict share <br />of Colorado Hin'rs watt'r. Arizona r+."Cei\"t'd the mal>sin' <br />Ct.'ntral Arizona Projl"Cl. whit-h wa" not to deli\"er water <br />until fin> projt.'1:ts in \\'I"'lt'rn Colorado WPr+.' l'ompll'lt>d. <br />The fin'. at that liml'. wert' si7.t'd to somp 700.000 HlTt' <br />ft't;,l. an amount sufficit'nt to pro\"ide for many of thl:' <br />nt't'lls and impacts in Wl'su'rn Colorado, induding- thoS(' <br />cau~>d h\" Ut'nwr's transmounlain di\"t'rsions. It offt'r+.'(! <br />\\'t.stt'rn' Culorado a prow{'(in> halance. In the latl' <br />st'\"f'nties. in an <.let Iwlipvt.d unprp(.t.'Cil'nh'<l in Colorado <br />watt.'r histor\", a lllt'mher of the state's con~'Tt'ssional <br />dl'lt.'g-.llion \.('ltt'(l to kill her own statt'S watt'r projt'\'t s. <br />Thl' con~'Tesswoman. ft'prt'sl'ming- Dl'n\"t.'f, \'ott'C! to kill <br />\\'psh'rn Colorado projf'\'lS. <br /> <br />* * * <br /> <br />"At tht. f1'qUl'St of tilenn Saumlt'rs. .\Jr. Fr.mk lJ...Jant'y <br />and I mpt with ~aunders and Fischer in this IHiwr <br />Districtl offin' last Friday. \1r. Saundt.'rs profesSt"t:t a <br />strong desirt.' to S('(.the early dl,\"t'lopml:'nt of an oil shalt.' <br />induslf\' in \\"estt'rn Colorado. He statt"t:i that IJel1\'l:'r <br />was wt'1l uwart' thal a dollar s{X'nt in \\"t'stern Colorado <br />rl'sultt"t:i in two dollars bt'in~ spent in tht' [)l;'nvPf an'a. <br />lIt' further slatt'l.l that Dt'll\'er wa<; pl"t'par"t'd to COOpt'rat(' <br />with \\'estt'rn Colorado in planning- for and brinb>ing <br />aboul tht' dcvclopmt.'nl of waler resourct's to fadlitatt' <br />tht, P:--ot"t.'tt"t:i expandingt.'Conomy of \\'pstt'rn Colorado." <br />- S....,....I.,."...Engin....... Phil S"';lh. ."pon 10 Ih" bo..d. Colo- <br />..do Rn...... "".1'" Con.......,.lion Di..l...kt. J..h; 20. 1964 <br /> <br />. * * <br /> <br />"I fuUv f('aHzt' tht, int('n"ities of f('('ling thal. owr tht' <br />\"ears, haW' t)t'('n engendefl"t.j on both ~idt":; of tht, di\'ide <br />~)\"l'r watt'r prohlt>ms. IloweH'r, I cannot refrain from <br />urJ..>ing- that WI;' make further dforts to find (.'ommon <br />h"'fOund hl'tWt'l'n lht' \\'t'stern :-'1(11)(' and nt'nn'r. <br /> <br />"We in Denver feel that we haw a genuine stake in <br />continuing welfart' and prosperity of the Western Slope <br />and.....e belit've that Denver's welfare and growth are of <br />importance to you. We all kno..... that you and we have <br />mutual CClUse in tht' prosperity. the welfare and the <br />J..'To.....th of the whole state of Colorado. <br />"If thert' is an\" .....av bv which we could sit down <br />tohP(,ther w achie~.e belter- understanding of our vary- <br />ing points of view and perhaps e\'olvE' a new approach <br />to the solution of our common problems. that effort <br />should be made because the importanct' to our JX'Ople <br />of the d('('isions .....1' are making in these matters. <br />"On !)(.haJf of the Denver \\'ater Board and the City <br />gOH'rnment. I plPdt"re to you our most sincere efforts <br />toward suth a goal." <br /> <br />- r...l...gr.... D.n"...... M.yo. Q.igg <br />N"...lon to CHWCD. D"c. 19. 1953 <br /> <br />* * * <br /> <br />In 1953, the Colorado General As-<;embly pa"sed House <br />Bill -157 dirt.'Cting tht' Colorado Water Conservation <br />Board and th(' Colorado Conf('rence Committee to <br />t'stablish the ft'quirements of an oil shale industry, In <br />part. tht' statute dirffh"t:i: "The studies so to he made <br />shall indudt. analyst's of the extent to which water mH\' <br />be t ransfel'TI"<i fro'm one watershed to another ....ithin th'e <br />slate without injury to the potential ('('onomic develop- <br />ment of the natural watf>rsht"t:i from which water might <br />be din'rtt'<l for lhe dewlopment of another watershed." <br /> <br />* . * <br /> <br />But nothing compares to the depth and involvement <br />of the two-year saga of 1935 and 1936. It was a saga <br />thal in\"olvt'd thrt.'t' Colorado b'llVemors. two state at lor- <br />nil'S gt..neral. one popular Iietutenant governor. two <br />1)('O\'t.'r .....att.'r lawyers, and piont"Cring It'aders in wawr <br />from en'rv comer of lht' state. There was no state wawr <br />hoard at tht' time - such responsibilitit'S feU lo the State <br />Planning Commission. a blue ribbon panel from around <br />tht, Statt> ....ith Edward D. Fosl.er as dirfftor and John <br />1: Bamt'tt of Denver, former Colorado Allomey G('neral. <br />as chairman. At tht' l'f'qUt'St of the planning roinmission. <br />(;o\"ernor Ed Johnson callt'd a ~tatt'.....ide mt'E'ting of <br />approximately 300 water users and officials for June 3 <br />and .1. 19:1!). <br />..\t the mt'{'ling. an ad\isory panel of II. seven from <br />\\'est-t'rn Colorado, seven from East('rn Colorado and <br />thf('(' from thE' San Luis Valley was appointed. Chair- <br />man was G(>orl"Y'f:' Corlett. former Iieuumant governor. <br />Indudt'll on the panel was Judge Clifford Stone. ......ho <br />......as to bt:'('ome the first and long time din"Ctor of the <br />Colorado \\'ater ConSt'f\'ation Board: Halph Carr. who <br />would go on to I)t'('ome go\"ernor of Colorado from 1939 <br />to 19.13: Frank Delaney. \\'Ii'stern Colorado's piont'f.'r <br />watl?r lawver, and \talcolm Undsev. who for more than <br />a d~'\'adt' 'had reprl?st,ntt'd the cit;. of Denver and its <br />water hoard and ......ho ......ould lau.'r haw as his understudy <br />(~Ienn Saunders. . <br />Tht' ad\"isof\' t'ommittt'l, on wa((~r resources convent't:! <br />in Denver on ,iunl' 13. 193;) to hanuner out a state ......awr <br />5 <br />