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<br />such protection only to projects undertaken by conservancy <br /> <br />districts. <br /> <br />The same general issues are raised in any such <br /> <br />diversion. <br /> <br />It has been suggested that the constitutional provision <br /> <br />stating that the "right to divert the unappropriated waters of <br /> <br /> <br />any natural stream to beneficial uses shall never be denied"95 <br /> <br />limits the legislature's ability to protect basins of origin.96 <br /> <br />As discussed, the legality of transbasin diversions is well <br /> <br />establ ished in Colorado.97 <br /> <br />However, it is also well established <br /> <br />that the legislature may impose reasonable conditions on the <br /> <br />diversion of water. <br /> <br />As the Colorado Supreme Court observed in <br /> <br />1885: <br /> <br />"While the legislature cannot prohibit the appropriat ion <br /> <br />or diversion or unappropriated water, for useful purposes, from <br /> <br />natural streams upon the public domain, that body has the power <br /> <br />to regulate the manner of effecting such appropriation or <br /> <br />diversion."98 <br /> <br />The challerige to the 1943 statute restricting transbasin <br /> <br />95Article XVI, Sec. 6, Constitution of Colorado. <br /> <br />96Carlson, "Report to Governor John A. Love on Certain <br />Colorado Water Law problems," 50 Denver L. J. 293, 306 (1973). <br /> <br />97See text accompanying notes 53-55 supra. <br /> <br />98Larimer County Reservoir Co. v. People ex reI. Luthe, 8 <br />Colo. 614, 9 P. 794, 797 (1885). Cases In which the Colorado <br />Supreme Court has approved such legislative restrictions are <br />cited in City and County of Denver v. Bergland, 517 F. Supp. 155 <br />(D. Colo. 1981) at 207 and 208. Note that in Coffin v. Left Hand <br />Ditch Co., 6 Colo. 443 (1882), the Court approved an out-of- <br />watershed diversion "[i]n the absence of legislation to the <br />contrary...." See also, Note, "Constitutionality of Colorado <br />Statutes providing-for Transmountain Water Diversions," 25 Rocky <br />Mt. L. Rev. 363, esp. 366-67 (1953) <br /> <br />40 <br />