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<br />32 pages N~wsstan<l p~!ce /5; ,
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<br />. 'GlY:!od Junction, Colo.
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<br />Wednesday,,4,<,gusl , 0, 7977
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<br />Fruitland bockers ponder
<br />study on ' domestic woter
<br />viously by Congr:ess after decades
<br />of planning, was de'Signed to pro"
<br />vide ,43,100 acre-feet of water for
<br />lands on FrulUand 'Mesa, now par.
<br />ched from a two-year drouth.
<br />For" some,~time, .-Steckel. saidr"'--
<br />Mayor Davis L. Connelly, o~ Hotch-
<br />kiss ,had sought supplemental do-
<br />mestic' water 0 through the
<br />.Fruitls;nd, M~sa Ptoje~t., But the
<br />'comiervaticy di"s'trtct botfi'tl'h'ad re~
<br />jected' the re;quests. More re-
<br />cently, the board reconsidered
<br />the' situation after' being ap-
<br />proached by both Hotchkiss and
<br />Paoula.
<br />The ,board, Steckel said,. said
<br />the North Fork Valley is growing
<br />rapidly, both in the natural
<br />course of events as well as with in-
<br />creasing coal development. The
<br />board's conclusion wa.s that Fruit-
<br />land Mesa could supply the do~
<br />mestic needs.
<br />Munieipal use eyed"
<br />Though water generated by the
<br />project had been allocated 100
<br />per cent to irrigation, the board
<br />wondered if a small portion could
<br />be diverted "for municipal pur-.
<br />poses.: Steckel said 'if 6 per -cent
<br />could be allocated to domestic
<br />use, it.would serve 6,000 families
<br />at 10,eOO gallons a month.
<br />"EVen if the drouth doesn't con-
<br />tinue," Steckel ,said, "there will
<br />be -a shortage of water in the
<br />. North Fork Valley." He -added
<br />with an adequate-"supply of do-
<br />mestic water, marginal lands not
<br />'. suited for agriculture could be de~
<br />veloped for housing and indus-
<br />trial use.
<br />So, earlier this month, he saio.,
<br />the district submitted a request to
<br />the .bureau, -along with 'copies to
<br />Gov. Lamm and Colorado's, con~'
<br />gressipnal delegation, asking for
<br />(Conthlued on Page 8)'
<br />
<br />B~.KATHERlNE KAWAMURA
<br />Sentinel staff writer
<br />eRA WFQRD-In an effort to re-.
<br />store' fund,iQg ,for' 'the Fruithuid
<br />1'M.esii"Project and ,provide 40mes-
<br />tit:!' ",vater 'for' a. burgeoning-!}qbrth
<br />Fork: Valley" 8 new request,has
<br />-be~p.",submitted to:~he ,U!S~:..Bu-
<br />res:u 'of Reclamation., ' .' ," .
<br />. "Ricihard C. Steckel, vice .1>resi~
<br />deht"of the'1i'ruitland Mesa Water
<br />Conservancy, DistrIct, cohfirmed
<br />toda$' the bureau has been asked
<br />to estimate costs for allocation of '
<br />a portion of water proposed for.
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<br />storage in the ill-fated project to
<br />the towns of Hotchkiss anq
<br />Paonia, as well as domestic water
<br />companies in the valley.
<br />One 'of the projects on Presi-
<br />..-dent Jimmy Carter~s-"hit1ist;"the
<br />Fruitland Mesa Project, was.
<br />':'omitted from a public 'works ap-
<br />o. proprlatioIis bill p~s$'ed ,QY. Con-
<br />, gress laS~f'<i,',:,m()nt1n, ',';,~1'l1".e~~ "p_rojel:t:
<br />. failed to "ln~et""ufe"'V'trdriiinis-'
<br />tratlon's environm'ental and eco---
<br />nomic feasibility standards.
<br />Previously authorized
<br />The project, authorized pre.
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<br /><:(/01,
<br />Domestic wate
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<br />feature e~&d
<br />for Fruitland
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<br />(Continued from Page One)
<br />reevalu'ation I?asea on azvertIng a
<br />, small portion of the stored water
<br />for domestic use.
<br />Interest shown
<br />Besides the towns of Hotchkiss
<br />and PaoDia, Steckel said, interest
<br />in domestic supplies has been
<br />shown by such water companies
<br />as Bone Mesa and Crawford,.
<br />Steckel said he also bad con-
<br />fronted the governor on the prop'-
<br />osition and was, given guarded
<br />support on the assumption - that
<br />the broao.er scope of the 'project
<br />would serve the needs of the area.
<br />Saying the town of Hotchkiss is
<br />"trying to get water any way we
<br />ean," Connelly said he also has
<br />written in support of Fruitland
<br />Mesa's proposal. The town is In
<br />need of another water source, es-
<br />pecially to meet winter needs.
<br />. The town now is dependent on
<br />its own limited supplies and on
<br />whatever is available from the La-
<br />roux Creek Water Co. The town's
<br />supply through the Fire Mountain
<br />Canal was cut off late in July
<br />when the Paonia Reservoir was
<br />drained of its active storage.
<br />Request oUida\.
<br />Addressing ,the letter..to J.F.
<br />Rinckel, p-roject, manager at'
<br />Grand Junction for the bureaq's
<br />,.q . Western Colorado Projects Office,
<br />Connelly _wrote he "officially
<br />requests permission to acquire
<br />domestic and municipal water
<br />rights out of and from the Fruit-
<br />land'Mesa Project" at the time the
<br />project is completed and water is
<br />available. . ,,', . '
<br />Connelly - said the town will
<br />"desperately need new supple-
<br />mental water supplies" for an in- .
<br />dustrial and housing annex
<br />proposed south'Qf Hotchkiss.' The
<br />most ~feasible .
<br />would be th
<br />l-q'U)~4.~ "'_ .,,_.'
<br />Proposed deve "
<br />adobe waste1and, he 'sa., . '
<br />require from one to two second-
<br />feet of water daily; Now, the town
<br />has no other source which can be
<br />tapped'to meet the needs. ",
<br />Vital for area . .
<br />Despite the fact the Fruitland.
<br />Mesa Water Conservation District.
<br />is in- debt, its directors decided
<br />another attempt at restoring the
<br />project was vital for the area.
<br />Steckel said the' distrICt's an-
<br />nual. levY produces - only about
<br />$1,400 in revenues from property,
<br />taxes - an amount sufficient only
<br />to take care of the district'S offi.
<br />cial business. " ,
<br />But in the past year, the district.,
<br />has attended hearings on its proj-
<br />ect and hired a lobbyist to pro-
<br />mote the project in Congress. It
<br />was a futile attempt, Steckel said,
<br />in fighting environmental forces.
<br />The district has had to borrow
<br />fu-nds to pay commitments and
<br />now is seekIng financial
<br />contributions.
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