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ThIS 1974 Annual Report b respectfully dedicated to the memory of Mr. Herbert Schroeder, who p8.llsed away Thul15day, November 28, 1974. His funeral and burial services were at- tended by his many longtime friends and admirers, as a I1ving testimony to the respect they had for thb true pIoneer In Water Resource Conserva.tlon and Management. Herb was raised on an trrlgated farm In Crowley County, and learned at an early age the Importance of water to life In every torm, and to productivity of food and !1ber. H16 interest In water could not be satisl1ed In Just seeing the re- sults of Its use, 90 he went to ArIzona as a very young man, and worked on the then recently authorized UnIted States Bureau ot Reclamation "Salt River ProJect". Hls primary responsibility was working on a massive Dam In the early 1900's, whIch later helped in the orderly development ot the productive agricultural land around the City of Phoentx, and PhoenIx proper. He then moved to the Imperial Valley, In Calltornla, to gaIn more knowledge ot water appl1catlon by working on several of the very productive farms whIch were already benefiting trom Water Resource Projects constructed many years before. Herb decided. to move ba.ck to his beloved Crowley County In Colorado. and to put hts knowledge of Water Resource Projects to work there. He served as a member ot the Board ot Directors at the famous Twin Lakes Reservoir and Canal Company. as they planned a privately tlnanced Water Pro- ject which would Involve the Colorado River Compact, Colo- rado Water Law and a most complicated Engineering System, to make more water available to the farmers In bLs County. At the same tIme, Herb worked tirelessly 8.11 a member ot the Water Development AssociaUon of Southeastern Colorado dur~ lng the '30's, 40's and 50's, .to help develop additional Water Management Projects for the Arkonsas River Basin In Colo- rado. On May 13. 1958, hiB vast knowledge ot water, and bls years at unsel!1sh eHorts In behalf of better management of limited water suppJles, resulted In his appoIntment as one ot 15 Charter Members of the Board ot DirectoT'B of the South- eastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, where he served diligently until he requested to be relleved of h1.6 responsi- bIlities In April 1974. During his years ot service as B Direc- tor, he saw another dream come true, when the Congress ot the United States authorized the constructIon at the Frying_ pan-Arkansaa Project. Herb decided In 1974 It was time he devoted more Ume to hLs tamlly and his personal agricultural pursuits which he had neglected tor many years when he was gIving his Ume to the service ot others. This giant of a man tn water was burled among his be- loved fields of productive agriculture, and his l1telong friends and loved ones, The Water Projects he dreamed ot, worked on, and saw completed, w111 continue to serve as lasting mon- uments to his vision, personal sacrU'lces, and dedlca.Uon to mankind. o o ..... 00 ~ e.n HISTORY HERBERT SCHROEDER Director-May 13, 1958 - April 18, 1974 The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District was created under Colorado State Statutes On April 29, 1958, by District Court in Pueblo, Colorado. It embraces approximately 280,000 irrigable acres in 26,150 square miles in the Arkansas River Basin, with a population of approximately 400,000 people, and includes towns from Rural Unincorporated Munici- palities, to Cities in excess of 200,000 people, and areas ranging from very small farms to large ranch. ing operations, It truly is representative of "Rural America", where the agricultural sectors are suffering out-migration, and the larger metropolitan areas are faced with problems common to growing areas. The citizens in the Arkansas Valley realized long before 1958 that a well managed water supply held the key to the future growth and prosperity of the Basin in Colorado, and as D. result of this sincere con- viction~ they Petitioned the Court in Pueblo for per- mission to form 8 W 8ter Conservancy District. The movement actually started as early as 1922, when a group of citizens from farms and cities joined together to start discussing ways of not only managing existing or decreed water supplies better, but also utilizing other waters in Colorado to which they were legally entitled. Not only has the District grown in population since its creation, but also in valuation, When formed in 1958 it had an assessed valuation of slightly less than $400 million. and on January 1, 1975, the valua. tion was $1,029,181,626. ',. DISTRICT POWER AND AUTHORITY Colorado Revised Statutes in 1963, Article 5, passed by the Colorado General Assembly in 1937, sets forth specific duties, powers and authorities of Water Conservancy Districts in the State of Colorado, and included in Article 5 are the following Sections: 150.5.1 - Declaration (l). It is hereby declared that to provide for the conservation of water resources of the State of Colorado, and for the grea.test beneficial use of watet' within this State, the organization of Water Conservancy Dis- tricts, and the construction of works as herein defined by such Districts are a public use and will: (2) Be essentially for the Puhlic benefit and advantage of the people of the State of Colo. rado. (3) Indirectly benefit all industries of the State" (4) Indirectly benefit the State of Colorado in the increase of its taxable property valuation. (5) Directly benefit municipalities by pro' 1 2