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<br />00H5C <br /> <br />'4 <br /> <br />Supreme Court to fix a rule of law, thus tying up ground- <br />water with considerable rigidity to prior appropriations <br />of surface waters. One rule of law is deemed applicable <br />to 'tributary' ground-water and another to 'non-tributary' <br />ground-water. The 'tributary' idea may well lead to ab- <br />surJities and prevent full conservative use of such water. <br />The 'tributary' idea helped the courts in applying the rules <br />governing surface streams to ground-water where rules <br />were lacking. I think we need new rules which would <br />recognize our modern conceptions of ground-water hydrology. " <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Every g:-ound water aquifer differs in many respects from every <br />other. Each river basin has resources and pr'oblems which differ from <br />every other. While some general rules and laws could be made applicable <br />to ground water on the state-wide basis, any law adopted should recognize <br />the variations between scientific facts in the South Platte Basin, the <br />Arkansas Valley Basin, tIle San Luis Valley Basin, the Colorado River <br />Basin, the high plains of eastern Colorado, and the artesian aquifers. <br />The people of e2ch basin should be given the opportunit:' to conserve, <br />develope and plan the optimum use of its ground water resource. A <br />state agency for this purpos e alone, or j,n conjul1ction with surface vl8.ter <br />and other nalui'",l resources, should be provided. <br /> <br />.' <br /> <br />While not all mem02r'S of the advisory committee so e::pressed <br />themselves, it woulci appear to be true that a majority of the committee <br />favored some basin-wide a3'ency for the South Platte Valley, the Arkansas <br />Valley, and the S2.n Luj ~ Valley. Basin-wide resource planning, develop- <br />ment and administrnticn in each of our major river basins D1USt be achievec. <br />as soon as poss;,ble, 'Nhethe~' Coloi:ado :1': a \'II101e or' cmy of its river <br />basins is prepared fOi~ this step your consultants and the advisory <br />committee are unable to ansv.'er. PerhalJs hll intermediate step of a <br />basin-wide planning commission is <"dvisable. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />A study commission for botil the Scuth Platte Basin e,nd tl~e <br />Arkansas Valley could be created to study the resource problems cf eacll <br />basin as a unit and prcpose a coordinated l'eSOUr'ce ple,n which recognizes <br />all water an.d roe18,ted resources, TIle Commi,ssion could be Given the <br />power to make 2. ve1'Y small mill lev)'. It could be ~,uthorized to prepare <br />an integrateci plan for resource development and cor.se!"vation for the <br />entire basin. Lim~ting ,he existe,Jce of such a district to two or three <br />years wou:C :lvoid tile charge of continuing ta;:es. Such a proposal <br />could include participation of federal agencies in the same manner as <br />the Texas SC",c1.y Commission. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />.. lO - <br />