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<br />3446 <br /> <br />ALTERNATIVES TO WATER TRANSFER <br /> <br />The process of alternative development is presented in Figure 2. The process begins with <br />identifying probable alternative uses for Fort Lyon water. The traditional strategy for changing <br />any of these variables is the sale and permanent transfer of the water and dry-up of irrigated <br />farms. This path is irrevocable. Another strategy is the temporary transfer, herein referred to <br />as a "lease" of water by the water right owner for one season at a time. The shareholders can <br />adopt one or more "mechanisms," i.e., administrative methods, to accomplish their objectives. <br />Using this logic of alternative development, concepts are integrated into workable alternative <br />descriptions. <br /> <br />The "mechanisms" of change are: <br /> <br />. water banking, where Fort Lyon water is leased to another user while the <br />shareholders' lands are fallowed <br /> <br />. first-use agreements, where Fort Lyon water is first diverted and used by others, <br />then reused in the Fort Lyon system <br /> <br />. water option leases (also called interruptible supply contracts), where Fort Lyon <br />water is used by others in dry years while Fort Lyon land is fallowed <br /> <br />. internal system improvements, to salvage water and make it available to other <br />users, possibly for alternative uses. <br /> <br />The possible alternatives for the Fort Lyon Canal Company for either outright sale or <br />temporary lease are: <br /> <br />1. Internal transfers within the Fort Lyon Canal Company among shareholders, <br />through changes in FLCC bylaws. <br /> <br />2. Transfer to new uses in the valley, permanent or temporary, e.g., through a local <br />water bank. <br /> <br />3. Temporary transfer to new uses outside the valley, e.g. by water banking or dry- <br />year water option contracts, to water suppliers in the Denver Metro Area. <br /> <br />Other possible alternatives are: <br /> <br />4. Acceptance of an offer, such as the CWS offer to sell and transfer of as much as <br />51 percent of the water outside the valley. <br /> <br />5. Adopting the "status quo;" that is, no alternative to out-of-basin transfer of Fort <br />Lyon water may be implemented. <br />