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Farmers'mee(withCarperiter to air new bill's possible effects , the LowervaITey are alreadY lmprovea. . Ca~nted said he was aware of the 1BJ"Ktl' IJIJ!IWtl!r-OI' mnnen- who bav&-. ~readY lined their ditches and said the federal government people are arro- pnt in many ways,. ignoring the con- cerna of farmers with a1ready improved laterals. Carpenter. said BuRee's plana for piped laterals is cause for concern. They will silt up and then "o-and-M coats will go through the roof." Some of the Lower Valley farmers at the meeting said they thought the whole salinity control project is nothing but a giant WlLter grab. They said they are being required to bear the burden of cleaning up saline water and of chang. ing their irrigating practices so that the east slope can divert more water from the Colorado River. and so that more can be sent downstream to the populous and politically powerful states of Arizona and California. There was concern that the Federal Land Bank might own enough shares of GVlC wster to have a majority on some laterals and thus form a single "super district" which then could dictate to other shareholders in the district. Carpenter admitted that was a legiti- mate concern. "This is good. old, down home, dirt time politics,. he said. "You people have to watch what's going on and. protect your water rights. "This is a fear, and I don't want to throw:you folks to the wolves". Another concern about Carpenter's bill was that the law could go into effect and the federal government then decide not to fully fund the salinity control con- struction as it hali promised to do up to now; This would open .uP .farmers to the threa~ of the state telling them Urlund it ' themselves through the taxing powers H.B. 1203 would give to the districts. Farmers could end up bearing the entire costs of salinity control by having formed the very irrigation diStricts they had hoped would protect their interests. CarPenter called that idea. "A big and real fear." Carpenter said he. as the bill's spon- sor, could kill it at any time. He said he would put it on hold for a week to find out if the Price and Stubb Ditch people were aware of the local farmers' concerns. "I don't want to hold it up and give them (the Price and Stubb people) a ocrewin', and I don't want to push it and give you people a ocrewin'," he said. He {lromised to meet with the Price and Stubb people, with Waldeck. and with Grand Junction lawyers Jim Robb and Joe Skinner to discuss the ramifies- ti01lll of Holt 1203 before making a final decision. ~ o ~ .g Br Hen" Loh..,... FruitI n.... SlIlf . Stating that "salinity con~l is water control." about2O Lower Valley farmers met with State Rep. Ed Carpenter last Saturday in Fruita in an effort to find' out how a bill he is sponsoring in the state legislature will affect their farm- ing futures. . , Most of those in attendance have expreued opposition to the Bureau of Reelamation's current plana for inStal- . ling piped irrigation laterals in the val- . ley, Their questions to Carpenter about' House Bill 1203 related to their efforta . fighting BuRee's current plans and to. get guarantees from the federal govern- ment on future operation costs, on secur- ity of present water rights, and on other issues. Carpenter began the meeting ,by~: explaining that he is carrying the bill at' the req)18st of the boards of directors of the Price Ditch in Palisade and the Stubb Ditch in Clifton. Both ditches are outside of Carpenter's legislative dis. trict and both operate as irrigation' districts. . . . . The bill would authorize irrigation . districts which operate laterals to enter into contracts with BuRee on the salin- ity project. would provide for the levy- ing of ~'special assessments" on irrigators . to pay for operation and maintenance of improved laterals that the federal government does not pay, and authorizes the districts to obtain loana and gives them the pOwer of emi- nentdC!main and of conveying property. . . Carpenter told the Lower Valley group that the bill was written by Grand" . Junction attorney Bill Waldeck, and that it was supported by members of the . PriCe and Stubb Ditch boards, One",; farmer at the meeting said that Bill ... McDonald, director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, was draft- ing the bill as early aa last November 'Carpenter said the law would allo~ . area farmer. to organize their own lat- erals into "irrigation districts" which , . could then individually..nter into salin- ity control contracts with BuRee. This could help ease irrigators' fears of a heavy-h,a'!de? . 'federal approa~h to farmers IDdmdual needs. CarPenter explained. BuRec has not wanted to deal with individual farmers on the project. but rather with a single, non-federal entity. Though most of the fJll'D1ers at the meeting were shareholders of the Grand Valley Irrigation Company, Carpenter said the bill has.nothingto dowitiL pm, . .. vate entities like GVIC. Many; GVIC: shareholders are concerned about BuR- ec'splans to have the company take over farmer-owned and operated laterals -1 and put themi1t'prp.fop_limty_~' . 1IUrllOlllllI, even though titany laterals in . .. ~ . ~ fR<JI[.A TIMG) M A RCJ-l lq 1'181