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<br />If">."~ -,: e: ,'1 q <br />~. , .. '! : ~.) ..' 'J <br />'.J .~' ", . <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />A preliminary survey was made in 1881, and in 1905 a group of <br />Colorado A & M students made a study of the feasibility of the diversion <br />of water from Grand Lake. This was a sizable task which was eventually <br /> <br />accomplished by construction of the Colorado Big Thompson Project. <br />It wa's authorized in 1938 and was completed in 1955, after a major <br />interruption caused by World War II. This gigantic project undertaken <br />by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was made possible only through the <br />cooperative efforts of many individuals, local ditch companies, irriga- <br />tion districts, state government, water user associations, and cities, <br />with the federal government. The formation of the Northern Colorado <br />Water Conservancy District, which has provided the reimbursement of <br />costs assigned by federal law to local interests, was essential to <br />accomplishment of this. project. <br />In retrospect, history has shown that the people of the South <br />Platte Basin have learned to work together to accomplish mutually <br />beneficial, tasks. It was impossible for individual s working alone to <br />build most of the existing facilities. As we look to the future we may <br />be making a transition from an era of water development to an era <br />more of water management. With our system of water law, it is impos- <br />sible for a single individual to manage the South Platte River and its <br />tributaries. However, those same principles of cooperation that brought <br />us through; the era of developmentshoul d al so be able to take us into <br />a new era of voluntary basinwide water management. Stated another way, <br />for indivi~ual water right owners to maintain their water rights in <br />the face of increased pressure, a new approach to cooperation will be <br />required. Everyone stands to gain if the new approach succeeds; if not, <br />the losses .could be very damaging. <br /> <br />. I, <br /> <br />L <br /> <br />~ . _J.d,.-,;;,.,.i,~ j~:<;.i'J <br />