WSP08323

• File Number: 8051
• Description: Area of Origin
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 12/1/1985
• Title: Guidelines for Developing Area-Of-Origin Compensation -- A Research Report Prepared for the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

project or projects constructed by the River District.90

C. An Evaluation of the Colorado Approach

Colorado has adequate supplies of water to meet its foresee-

able needs if these supplies can be made available at the point

of demand.

Transbasin diversions have represented a significant

source of supply in this state.91 With the withdrawal of federal

subsidies and the addition of numerous environmental restric-

t ions, the cost to the builder of these projects has increased

markedly.

Nevertheless, such projects still represent a potenti-

ally important source of supply.

It seems evident from an examination of the circumstances

surrounding the origination of the Colorado provision for basin

of origin protection that compensatory storage was agreed to

because federal funding was available to build the entire

transbasin diversion project including the additional storage.

As discussed, the bargaining position of the West Slope was

exceptionally strong because of the position of its congressional

representatives.

As a result, two major storage projects have

been built without cost to the West Slope. At the same time, the

90~. at 5 (paragraph 3).

9lAccording to one source, an average of 540,000 acre-feet
per year (based on 1979 conditions) is imported from other river
basins in Colorado. Colorado Water Study: Background Volume
(Colorado Department of Natural Resources, September 1981 at 12,
Table 3.) Most of this water is diverted from the upper Colorado
River basin to the front range. Since the annual consumptive use
of water in ColoradO is estimated at about 5.2 million acre-feet,
transbasin diversions represent about ten percent of total
consumption.

36