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<br />ALAMOSA,' Colo. (AP) - San Luis Boyce wanted to sell at least 100,000
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<br />~:~~~ a~e~i,~e~~:r71~( ;~~tg_~~a~':{;n: New owner of Taylor;REwph may be :c;~::~~;~w~t~~i~~;~~:~:t~Syee';.Or~eh
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<br />water battle may'Cace tough compcli- . , Opponents contend Boyce docsn'thavc
<br />tion from a French company. . involved in; pur;chaSfJ ./T1ove:. . the rights to that much water. Theyal.o
<br />Geologist DionStcwartsp.idWcdncs. .. . ....;!.' . . clai"ffi pumping that much from the
<br />day that Enron Energy Services has bid ." ~-. : . valley's larGe underground water for-
<br />on the 110,OOO-acrc Baca Ranch in the so~thcrn Colorndo valley. ",' :omations.would dry up wells and affect the Rio Grande River. "
<br />"Negotiations (ell through.~.Stewnrt said of the lOCal group's talks wit.h"B:aca .,~ . Boyce's application was p~nding in Watcr Court. ,
<br />Ranch officials. "Wc thought we had it." '. .,~~ The ranch's formc'r 'owner, Amcrican Watcr Dcvclopmcnt Inc., tried to divcrt
<br />I-Ie added, though, there has bcen no official confirmation of a,bid by. Enron..... billiotls oC gt;tllons .of water out oC the valley.
<br />Stewart, an Adams State College professor. is working with"the group Friends.:; But in 1994. the'COlorado Supreme Court said the company couldn't prove that.
<br />of thc dunes, which wants to see the ranch land included in plans to make.the' ~_other water users 'would not be hurt. "
<br />Great Sand Dunes National Monument 8 national park. . ,:' -,' {,~., .Ar~8 residents fear. p~rchase of the caqch by Enron could jeopardize valley.
<br />The ranch, owned by Gary Boyce, is northwest oC the dunes. Members ~C.," water. One of Enron's subsidiaries, Azurix, .is a'worlqleuder in wat,cr manage-
<br />Colorado's congressional delegation and area residents want to see the monument . roent, operating three companies internationally;
<br />upgraded to a national park, a change: they believe would draw more visitorfl. :. ~. Stewart said Enron's chairm~m and chief e~ecutive officer is Lou Pai. Psi owns
<br />Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who would make the recommendation, plans' ..the Jacoso Creek' Rancn, the southern third of the former 77,500.acre Taylor
<br />to tour the area Dec. 18. I .,' '. Ranch near San Luis.
<br />'The local group also wants to buy the ranch to protect San Luis Valley Yf~tcr.': Pai also is CEO of Western Properties, which recently bought Lhe resL of the
<br />Boyce, with backing from a San Francisco c9mpany. has-tried to sell the water..t~aylor Ranch. ,.,.,' .
<br />under his property. His plan was to pump the water from the ground and build a-:-<:, The local,grQup bidding on the Baca Ranch ~opes the Cederal govern!llent will' ,
<br />pipcnc to ship it over the Sangre ~e Cristo Mountains to the Front Range. ':'; ~,"~ bankroll the purch~se through its'Land, Water and Conservation Fund.. Ia.. III I
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