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" ..~ 0~ ~ 7>\ '11 Water , ' owners unite Regulatjf;J{1s push users tJiJdffj;oiz . By J<<!fs'AM~~ ,r;fY n~' Puebln ellieflain . MANZANOLA - A new well- owners gro'up has formed here in response to one,,!\, state rules requir- ing well owners 10 begin measur- ing Ihe amounl. of waler Ihey pump. . . . '. The. Arkansas. River Ground- waler Associalion will hold an or- ganizalional meeting for Ihe public and inleresled well owners Tuesday at 7 p.m. in an office above Ihe.Manzanola Posloffice. .Secrelary Beverly Eckerdl. said Friday Ihal owners of abouI 150 wells have sho~n an interest in joining Ihe group since ils incep- lion last week. _ Eckerdt w",,"ked live years for (he Colorado 'Water. Proleclive and Develop.meni; Associalion, one of Ihe Iwo well-waler replace- menl groups in Ihe:valley. The olher .group; which primar- ily serves well owners below John Martin Reservoir,,", is the' Lower Arkansas Yalley Waler Manage- ment Association: Eckcrdt said the new organiz;t- Jillll won"t charge "back dues" :l~ Ihe CWPDA and LAWM^ do now. Those charges. which in effect "That's going to make us and pa" dues for new members back . the CWPDA look real hard at our 10.1973 when well laws ~hanged. \ policies," LAWMA secrelary Don vary depending on the SIze of a HIgbee admllled. wet' from hundreds 10 thousands Higbee e.plained Ihal Ihe Iwo of jollars. older organizations charge Ihe AGUA will avoid legal 'costs as back dues because Iheir members mt.ch as possible and conce.ntrale feel Ihey have only been obel'ing on buying cheap waler for Its us- the law all these years. Eck dt said She termed the . er~. er . d h" "To let someone 10 from Olll of group "lean, mean an c eap. Ihe blue who has ignored Ihe rul- ..)wners of many valley wells es. and the associalions, all these Ihill were approved by a waler years makes some of our members cdJrl before 1972 can only pump mad," he said. wHer on three days of Ihe week. . . . Ol.ners of wells adjudicated afler Hlg~ saId he IS also concerned 1972 wners of wells drilled Ihal prices for water could rise as be, ' or19~2 but who want to Ihe Ihree groups look for places 10 ,ore _ buy'l .- pomp more waler, can t pu"!p . any unless they replace waler 10 I The CWPDA Iradilionally gets the river. The !wo groups buy wa- much of ils waler in Ihe form of ter 10 leave .1 10 Ihe river for Ihelr ,relum nows from Ihe Southeasl well-owner members. . Colora<to Water Conservancy Well owners who don't belong [)iSlTicl'" Because dislriel waler 10 eilher of the Iwo e.isting aug- can't be used for Ihal purpose be- mentalion groups have been low John Martin Reservoir, Ihe scrambling in recent weeks ,10 JOm LA WMA has boughl and leased up. Hal Simpson, Ihe stale shead waler from surface ditches. water official, said at a meetrng In February Ihal Arkansas Yalley ~cll users will have to start keep- 109 beller Irack of how' much wa- ler Ihose wells are pumping. Members of e.isiling well-<lwn- ers' groups do Ihal Ihrough well- motor electrical coefficient stud- ies, which lell how much water a well is pumping based ori ils pow- er consumption. Eckerdl said AGUA will keep track of water with an electrical coemcjent program 35 weJI. The new group's praclice of ad- mltung members without charging back dues will likely draw somc new members from those who were lhinking of joining the OIhcr two groups. Eckerdl said AGUA will proba- bly buy return nows from the con- servancy district for now, bur WIll look hard for permanent sources later. District water is sold from year 10 year, depending on how much waler Ihe Frying Pan-Ar- kansas Projecl collects from the Western Slope.