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<br />farmers' On Iniii:iiivc 16. \vhich ueals ,with /.,) If{-t:-,J.!..-.
<br />Opponellls say passage of the amellumems "If the initiative passes. water u'nuerneath school trust lanus,
<br />would cnu up costing Valley.farmers and have four months to purchase.a.nd Brandon said sucI1 lamls are"selaside
<br />ranchers up to $12 million collectively - inslUll meters. A meter.can be..m-." .yfederallawineverystalelogenerate
<br />about $3 million to place nO\~ melerson 3.?OO 'stalled' in:23 :J11inUles. ,Farmers'af- incomeforpublicseh.~olsin Ihatstale.
<br />wclls, up to $8 million i~' paJme!!ts 10 lhe . rc~dy' 'obeying\ij~c .Iaw ar~:,~~t. af-. Usually lliey arc Icased out al markcl';
<br />schoolfund,andlhe$\ milhontheyarespend." fecled....Drandon.sald... ',.". '.' rales.u~,..'?<,.." .
<br />ing to fightlhe bal1<;>1 initial~ves., .- - ~ ' ;.:'~>:..~u,i1her. he said the lype ot;falJll~rs' , Funhei-., he said Ihe water under-
<br />Brandon said Amendmenl 15 IS needed ,who:would fallynder lhe metenng:,'neaththost;'trustlandsdoeshav~value.: '
<br />because there is currcntly a 'lot of illegal 'requiremenl are not hUrling for Ihe :.",;~'In,pans of.Colorado.ou.tside.the..':.
<br />' pumping laking place in the SLV... money it woul.d takc !~p'~!",h:s~ and \ SanJ,.uis,Valley.theSlUteLand Board,
<br />, "There is obviously a greul deal of ~Ileg~l inslall water met~~s.,; _ i ., :;. :~... ,recorus sh.ow Ie?ses-as low as $1 per,
<br />waler pumping bcing,don". in l~eS.an'Luls ,.. "The people whoaresleahngwaler acre for dry land. and as much as
<br />Vallcy:Siiicc)982, no"':,e~ pcrmHs fOT wells I . are not low income. The farms. many, $34.50 for irrigalcd lands." ,
<br />have bcen issucd. yct tITIguled crop ... of them .inci:>fporated; have an uver7 ':".' Famlcts in the San Luis y..lIey. he
<br />acreage h..s blossomed by an addl- ag~"y<ilue;of$3.5 million..The~ h.aYe,{'sai~, p:iy'''n~:llhing''forwaterpumpc~ ,
<br />tionaC21.000 acres. One possilJilily is '. 'an income of more than $200 mlIhon. : from undcrncatl~ those lands. "
<br />Ih~1 wclls alrcady aulhori7.cd arc b?- There is no linkage between these; . Brandon admlls that watcr undcr- .
<br />i~gopcralcd in excess-oTlllcir.pcr~ll- large eorpofille (farms- anothe low 1'"n<::1ln InaR trust landswaspledccd-to .
<br />ted c..pacity. MeIers would Identify income people in the:y~l1ey.\<:xcept! !he Rio Grande Compast as a way 0[.
<br />the people who' arc depleting ~he. Ihat overpumping by the corporate i makingupdeficilSwilhmemberslates
<br />groundwaterthrough illegal pumplllg farms has prevenled small ,fanners : Texas and New Mexico. .
<br />and enable the stale to make them'. .,', ifrom 'obtaIning' well pCl1lliis; srnc~:... ; ':Some years aga. Colorado was
<br />. obey the law,"l3randon claimed.. . . 1982. The .curr~I!'[_ sysaen{h~rtsthe "sued by Texas and New Mexico re-
<br />I3randon also said that f..rmers WIll "',, ;. ,'Iower income people," he ?~lIled. -, 'gardingwalerinlheRioGrande.Cola.
<br />nOlgo bankrupt because they have to , .,... ..And, while on~ofthe CJUzens for, rado lost the lawsuit and agreed Co
<br />inslall meters on their water wells. ' ",,. ."."JColorado'sWalerargumenIShasbeen, 'make up the waler we owed 10 them
<br />"Meters arc expensive, but not in , '. "Ihat IhlCre'are beller.l~ss7eostJy meth:';.; by pumping extra water into the.Ri?
<br />the eontexl we'are talking about. A.. ,';"odsofmonitoring.waleruse;Brandon 'Grande frDm'state'schoollands until
<br />. good meler.can be purchased for less c', ..,..suggests thoseargumenls' 'miss :tlie.: lhe deficit was mel," he said. :"
<br />than $700. When you add the COSI .of , " , mark,.:. ':\ :'.'" .,..,'.,-}.,/....., :';'." Hawever. "The delicit was met in
<br />' a meler. aClually, $350.$700..tD the, , ;"'The.problem se~ms to b~ ~h~tlhe:: January.l985 when there was enough
<br />$70,000 cost of a well and sprinkl:r d" ,):ops arelhe ~r,O?ks: Th~ sam~ pc.ople.' walerin the Rio Grande to cDmpletely
<br />system, the cost is negligible. Inel~, ',i>,. ;';yho. are)aklllg.water they. arc ,not, fill !h<; reservoir at Elephant.Bulle.
<br />dentally. every well owner a!lreed t.o ',entitled ioarethe power structure of, New Mexico," Brandon claims. '
<br />install a mctcr when he received. hiS ;. the San Luis VallcyWaterConse~a- . '. Still. hc said. lhe SlalC continues 10
<br />permil." 13rando~ sa~d.... '.' tion District,"he s~id. '; ;, ',.. ',. . .''-' :.'pump waler from' those lrust lands in
<br />With lhemelenng 1Il1llallvecalhng" .,:,:..; .' ." , ,"'.. .. ordeno meet compact requirements.
<br />fDr melers to be installed by 0pril, . ,- "..J': "' , ." ,..,1".. , InI997,hesaid.29.000aerefeetwas'
<br />. opponents say this could e~USe' s~me ..:.'., ;' ;. .. .., senl dawnstream to Texas and New
<br />farmers tolose valuable spnng tITIga- . Mexico. ,:
<br />tion if they cannot get the meters
<br />installed and certified in time.
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