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<br />5aI., M 15. 1995 Rocky _ain News
<br />
<br />.u
<br />
<br />Store more water underground, Romer urges
<br />
<br />Governor says he'll push
<br />to develop the technology
<br />to pump surplus water
<br />into Front Range aquifers
<br />
<br />If .... s.IIt
<br />~d1__N_Cqild_.
<br />With billion. 0( gallons '" waler
<br />loot in Colorado'. spring runoff
<br />this year, Gov. Roy Romer 'ug-
<br />Ilesled Frid.y thai ,urplu5 waler
<br />
<br />be ;n~cted \\\tu u~Ic'R"'\Jl\rl :\'1'" .
<br />lers under Ihe FIOllt R.nge.
<br />"A lot 01 "ur water cam.. down
<br />the Platte (tbis y..or) _00 ..<,..I III
<br />Nehr.lsk3..' Romer ~jd in a c:ntl.
<br />I..renee call with reporter.;.
<br />"1/ we could take Ih.1 excc..iv..
<br />now and pump il jnto (aquile",I,
<br />it's like .1....0 ~'or... nam ,,'ill...l
<br />using the valle}'. It rnak~s sen6e:'
<br />Some WtX'k already is beinl:
<br />done to store ..-aler in aquifen ulI
<br />an expelimental hasis, CIl2M IIill,
<br />~n environment..) firm. helped Ulf'
<br />
<br />(:,'nh'IlI\l."lI Wi\le.o Ur..trict. wl\iel\
<br />SE"rVf'!I lIiKhbndfi Ran.1.. inject 30
<br />milliun gan,... 01 water inln "qui.
<br />k,,,, thi!; Yl'ar.
<br />I~ul thai', . dmp i. the hucket
<br />~':omparcd lo Ihe "W-pIUR waler
<br />Ih"t !lowed inln othe: states Ihi.
<br />spring - cllough t. 1"1Ivi<le .
<br />}'f';Jr"s, wurth uf \\-at(l'r:o a h..1f-m"-
<br />linn h(Jmr.~,
<br />I(umel ..id he hil. met wilh
<br />rept...."t.liv.. 01 C /-12M I I ill .nd
<br />uthcr~ to di~u.o;s the av..,lable
<br />1("'(.tmnl4.'li!Y nu( unly fo store UtP.
<br />
<br />page 2. ThurIldBY. July 13, 1995. Gunnison Counlry Times
<br />
<br />Letters
<br />
<br />Solutioll to laWSIlit
<br />
<br />Dear Mr. Hamel and Mr.
<br />'enclKlk:
<br />The following Iong-krm Fed-
<br />er31-ColQr.ado solulion 1(10' the
<br />K~ns.a5 6Utt .againsl Colorado's
<br />OYetU,'"iE' of the ArkMlsas River is:
<br />hereby oI.......d in r<5p""'" '"
<br />)'our May 30 public reque.t lor
<br />ideas on WitH .availability.
<br />In lho 19505 ond 6&.IIhe US.
<br />Swea... 0{ Reclamalion's extm-
<br />.sive Gunnison--A,kanSls Ri...~
<br />studies indicoled Culorado
<br />could di..., up to .50.000 acre
<br />Iftt 01 ib CoIondo Riv~ C"",-
<br />pod rnlill"......,rlrom lhe
<br />unlapped Upper Cunllison
<br />Basin. Withoul advnsely
<br />impactint down-river rnvlrnn-
<br />
<br />mellls and S4Mlior water right!".
<br />f;.inn" Ihu~ fur~nllrll ~'mti,'1'i,
<br />C('~lorildoo~ Upfl't'" t;lllll,i""m
<br />surplus has tncr~"~ lIr.unolli..
<br />alUy bealu...ollhe lOOj\.Ie,m
<br />5hifl ho,n irTigale-d fanlling t"
<br />mu..ism.
<br />The U.s. Buteao 01 Reclama.
<br />lion was rec"l"ntLy J!:iven an
<br />exlre-meJy valuabte CoIoradt,
<br />wU~r righl fol' the M'COnd fillin~
<br />of the: Bureau'., exif.hng TayLot-
<br />Park Reservoir in the Upp<'r
<br />CunnisClU Bas_n, This unprecE'-
<br />dentrd headwater 5to..age
<br />d~<ree "'as urigin"ny iustmed
<br />by a Slate of Colorado fish now
<br />shady. This qut'stionable study
<br />com::ludfd '1\.1 Brown Trout i.n
<br />the T.ylor Riv.. needed .um.
<br />Iner nond flows Ihat .an" lSO"r"" lu
<br />550% higher Ihan tho d<<1ftd
<br />minimum5 under ColflfiK1o'!lI
<br />Minimum Ins' ream Flow tin'"'
<br />
<br />~ram.
<br />Ulln'311 hy(ln,II"~Y (""prtl!O
<br />.uUy n.q~ni7(" Ihal .....,ylur l~j,.'(",
<br />Iruu' tJn no' nC'\.-d lh.e 15,000 It'
<br />l00.0UO--plns ac:-re r~c. aSMlCi.:.k'tt
<br />with Illt!ir Tayh... Park llP.c;p",(ti,
<br />Rt"fiJl Deocrt.>e. The- Bureilu alslI
<br />rffogn;7.e~ its Congl1!5..'liicJRal
<br />m.,nd;l~ to a!iOz;:i..t Ihp. 'SlOllf'!; with
<br />1""'t>eT JI1imaJ;cment ;l11d ~ul"fi,
<br />ci"J u!Oeollhrir il1lt"f$late com-
<br />ract "'ZlItt'r.
<br />In ".ie-\'Y' o(lhf above,1
<br />re~pedrully rt"Commenc U"'1t (,(
<br />the- Ourf'''u's Ilew Ta)Oh...I'ilrk
<br />Rf'!';f'l"voir I{cliU l.'Jeerer(" in a
<br />(,("')pet.ti~e, Fedrral-Colofachl
<br />!OOIUlton k., the Kansas i'o'alf'T
<br />sui\. "T"he ros. of ,hfs, GU'lnts\"'.
<br />t\rbnQS Riyer ((",~ppl would
<br />he minim....1 illMlfTM' 1I'lhesc
<br />wat..,!IIo wcrp C"omhille'ct ...,ilh Ihf"
<br />
<br />OOrltinued Cfl p..gl'!' II
<br />
<br />.,..otter, but 'n rep'eni."\h aqu;(en
<br />Ihat <Xluld h. sucked dry in lOll
<br />)'eilln:; Of' les."l..
<br />"Ie', like t_kinll roal nul oIlhe
<br />ground,". Romer said of current
<br />use 01 aquifer ...te... OIl the Fronl
<br />Range. "It doesn't !tIOW back."
<br />Rom.r ""id Ihe !llate mu.t itt.
<br />v..1ill31e H... lechnology 01 PlD"P-
<br />inll water back into the aquifers
<br />and mu.t find ...a)", lor those wbo
<br />u.., the .."t.r ", ohare the cost..
<br />"We've got to find . way to
<br />rechal'R.f' . ho~:;.~ aquifers or find
<br />
<br />COflMIlp.d "'orn pege 2
<br />
<br />Gunnie;on dnd South P1.1ntt
<br />Rilo'pr~ duril\f; fhe t"nyirCllU1lmt01I~
<br />I)' t!'.....rurti\'r rlro'lIf;hl q'dE'!llo.
<br />fiW! pnviromnenM and
<br />t'(flnomi('s ul aU wl"Slem stales,
<br />jnd~lding 'K..zlnsas and Nebr....u,
<br />wotlkt ~ub:'Ol..ntially be-nefil from
<br />high-.lttiIUtt(oo off-fiYItr stora~e of
<br />thE' '-,1St surplus fl[l()d n()M,'5 of
<br />Ihl(' (I\'..rlnokC"d Urfl't'1' Gunni!;(lfl
<br />
<br />.lle......tive waya "'storing wates;"
<br />Romer said. "[ will push vel'}'/wd
<br />00 this.. . Weeedtoll4ltaltt.~
<br />ROOU!r said he'd been usul"ftl
<br />the aquit"" could be red11f'RCd
<br />withouL auting the earthquake
<br />potentialt"'l ocClUTed itt the Deo.
<br />ver area 30 yell'1l ago when waste
<br />water wall injecled into a 2-miJe.
<br />deep well at the Rocky Mountain
<br />Anlenal.
<br />"Thele is a WIly 0C>lll to do the
<br />injection that you don'l have the
<br />earthqoake Ihreal you oner had."
<br />
<br />Basin. Low ..apora"onlo.ea.
<br />coupled with multiple .....1I1d
<br />cruse v.l.... llORllbis oingIe
<br />~dwa"'r projrcl. would be
<br />wor1h bill inns for wa;tt'm riv"
<br />bosins m both sides ol the COllti.
<br />nenlalDivide - if cooperatio.,'ely
<br />eva.lu..tt'd, constructed. and man.
<br />aged.
<br />, Sincerely,
<br />One Miller
<br />
<br />,"-
<br />
<br />A response to Miller
<br />
<br />Ilt'.n navc~
<br />We r~ceiYed )'our lll!'Uer to
<br />Alan Hamel. doted June 30,
<br />1"lI.rding YOUt proposal to u50
<br />lh. Unhm Park project as .11
<br />sn'lItinn fnr thl" Colol"ado-
<br />K.1f\.o;,,-.~ rl"Oh~m.
<br />\V(' (onlinue 10 ob;<f'cl to
<br />ynul" (hillracle-ri7.illion of thoe
<br />(:l1r,"i~nn Kio.'er IS an "over-
<br />look,"lI" nr "tHlde'outilized"
<br />"V4aSt :'Otnrlu~.- 'The &Kt lhal its
<br />W""'t"FS ate not yet diverted 10
<br />
<br />the Flont Range ......- not mean
<br />it has bE'.n 'overlooked.. No
<br />discuasio. ol IU,ch prt.;- COn
<br />ever be Iruilful 00 long ao p.r"'"
<br />ponen19 think wae..- is only use.
<br />ful il u50d on the FlOIlt 1Wop.
<br />The... l. 0NlUp,h <_...y
<br />alleady aOOul building Union
<br />['al'k to S~ lisfy Fronl Range
<br />growth, I ..."'" you thai \I will
<br />""",or be buUl to satisfy ICaJWM. '
<br />SlnCltNly.
<br />C~g E. WaIdln.
<br />Pr..idenl
<br />Club 20
<br />
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