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<br />2~ _ FRYING PAN-ARKANSAS PROJECT, COLORADO <br />r.' j <br />.. \J ,~. <br />~ his project i~ be.ing sponsored by the Southeastern Colorado IVater <br />Conservnllcv Districtl wlJich hus been ol'gnnized under t.he lnws of the <br />State of Colorado. This district comprises the lands which will be <br />served with supplemental irrigat.ion :vat~r under.t.his projed, a~1(~ con- <br />sists of some. 280,OnO ael'es. The dIstnct also lIlcllldes the CltlCS of <br />Colomdn Sprillg"s and PuebJo~ and other t.owns and cit.ies jn the. Arkan- <br />sas Valley, which will receivemuniciptll water. <br />The f?olls{>;n"ancy dlstI.i~t. is the legal entity whic.h will sign the. repay- <br />ment. contract wit.h t.he Fede,l'nl Governmtnt on this project. It }HlS <br />been operating- for SeVeI'll] years and is being nnanceJ by a 0.4 of a <br />mill le\'y on all of the property ineluded in the district. The district <br />has n. most competent. board of director~l and has ]ll'ospered ull(ler their <br />efficient direction. The office is located at PIH~hlo: where. mont.hly meet.- <br />ill!!S of the honrd are held. The presidellt of the district, Mr. .f. Selby <br />Young. of Colorado Sl))'ings, will be n witnpss at. thi::; henrillg. <br />~Ir. Chnirman, I ag:lin w:\Ilt. to make it crystal clear thnt thjs is a <br />Colorado prnjeet, and that the water of no other State is involved. <br />1Ye :U'e 1131J10' wnt.PI' t,h:lt. has br.e.n allocated to the State of Colorado <br />under the C~lor:ldo River compact., and the upppr Colorndo Rin~r <br />compact. Not. n drop of this wnter helongs to any other StOlte: and t.he <br />operation of the project will not atfect. the water supply of uny other <br />StJltej f'ithrr in tlw Ilpper or lower basin. <br />The State of Colorado has been "]Ioo,,ted :1,85f),OOO acre-feet of <br />wa.ter uncleI' t.he upper Colorado River compact. J.k~S' tJIHn half of t.his <br />amonnt is now bp,jll,!:?; llsed ill CollJrndo. which leaves the diver::iion ot <br />Gfl,100 aCJ'e-feet. wplf within Colo'rado\,'allocntion. I might ~tat.e that <br />Colorado furnishes some 70 pcrcent of the water in the Colorado River, <br />and certainly there should be no objection to using 6!).100 :lcre-fect. of <br />o~lr own water as propo:-;ed 11ncler this project. This water will be <br />dl\wted from the west slope to the east slope and will be put to bcne- <br />fieinl lIse ill t.he Arkansas ValleYl where a serious shortal!e of wat.er <br />now exists. I wish to ag-ain emphasize that t.he water to he diverted <br />is surplus to the needs of the westel'n slope. <br />III previolls hearings I ha'"e stressed t.he importance of this project <br />to the .Arkansas Valley in Colomtlo. Thi~ area. is short of water for <br />irrjgation~ and also fm: domestic purposes. .J ust last week I was talking <br />to a prominent farmer in the- valley who predicts that there will be a <br />short.age of wllte,r again thisJear~ and t.hat beginning in Augllst there <br />willllOt be sufficient water :n"aiJable to irrigate their crops. The pur- <br />pose of this projed is tu supply supplemental water for these farmers. <br />~ "\'ant to again empha:size that this is an irrigation project, and our <br />prmulry concern 1S to obtain additional water. both for irrigation and <br />~lomest.ic use. Some of tIle towns and cities in this at.ea are desperately <br />In need of additional munieipal 'yater, which will bp, made anlilnble <br />under this project. <br />I want to again call t.he committee'R attention to the fad that no <br />new land will be browrht under clIlti,"atiollullder this projeet. and t.hat <br />f?r the most part the ~rops raised on this land are not in surplus at this <br />~lme. The supplemental water which this project will provide will, <br />ill many cases, menn the diffcrence bet'Wpen a good crop and no crop <br />atal!. <br />]I~r. Chairman, this project has had the appro,""1 of tl11'e.e adminis- <br />tratIOns, two DemocratIc and one RepublIcan. The pl'o]eet. report <br />