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<br />ttl':' ~1 'j <br />..1, <br />", '" ~.. ' <br />V ~.' -' <br /> <br />9 <br /> <br />'-': <br /> <br />1.4 Water Issues <br /> <br />Turning now to the current situation, what are the issues facing' <br />the State and water right owners as they seek to find the best ways to <br />operate the South Platte River and its tributaries? These issues have <br />been summarized in several recent studies, such as the five-year <br />research plan of the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute and <br />studies by the Colorado Water Conservation Board and several citi zens' <br />groups (5,6,7,8,9). Two of the issues that are described in the <br />five-yt:\ar research plan underscore the economic importance of water <br />problems facing the State: excessive loss of entitlement water from the <br />South Platte River Basin; and sub-optimum use of the available water in <br />the alluvial river-aquifer system of the river and its tributaries. <br />These two problems are at the heart of the concerns addressed by the <br />research team. and are important to individual water right owners and to <br />the pub~ic at large. <br />The Colorado Front Range Project, under the auspices of the <br />Governor's Office (8), summarized the basin's water problems in the form <br />of five objectives, all of which can be addressed in the approaches <br />suggested in this report: <br />(10 increasing cooperative decision-making; <br />(20 increasing efficiency of water use; <br />(3' developing Colorado's compact entitlements; <br />(4) reducing agricultural vulnerability; and <br />(50 minimizing adverse ecological impacts. <br />These objectives pose a challenge to water right owners and water <br />officials and administrators as well as legislators. <br />The proposals in thi s report cannot achi eve all of these objec- <br /> <br />-& _111,.'.,.;{....,.if>.-. <br /> <br />:- ,',' <br />':>. '-1 <br />< '~i <br />;,ig,.;,\lj;-" <br />