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<br />r' :':~;:\rr~:~~"i~:With the report of' the
<br />,\ ' ,':', bel'arlnrent of Interior on ,the
<br />" ' pro(lOse<l:regislation' which stat-
<br />ell thal'~~Colorado should he
<br />resporiSi6le for the major costs
<br />O! the project since the state
<br />would be the primary henefi-
<br />clary, , '
<br />, Ellis L. Armstrong, commIs-
<br />sIoner of reelamation for the
<br />Department of Interior, tes-
<br />_tlf.iedWl behalf of the bill's
<br />provi~iq!,s,' with the stipulation
<br />that it ,should be amended to
<br />rellnire ::::1ll:e repayment of all
<br /><iosts~llll$ted to the water sal.
<br />vage f.!!!l>1ion.
<br />Aftc;sllarp questioning hy
<br />N\Otf,,~trong admitted it
<br />v,roJ1ld~ifficult to identify re-
<br />iil\bur~~ himefidaries of the
<br />proJeCC::;:;
<br />,:Fe1i]<.M, Sparks, director and
<br />secret..y,of the Colorado Water
<br />Conservation Board gave a
<br />brief history of the compacts
<br />that have consigned the Rio'
<br />Grande headwaters rising in
<br />Colorado to downstream states
<br />arid to Mexico,
<br />. i ~_'Colorado finds itself in a
<br />'position,Joday that almost fifty
<br />pel" ceht ,of its total surface
<br />v,raterJ\upplies have heen ,allo-
<br />caJedtp'~9Jher states by federal
<br />rio4rt ;ij~~isions, interstate com~
<br />pacts~aria international trea-
<br />tieS," Sl;ml'ks said.
<br />"1'l0~9ther state bears such
<br />. a>-h:urq_~Jl,':-~n connection with its
<br />, l\ative,'fr,~Jer, with the possihle
<br />. e~~ept(oR-',~f Wyoming," he con-
<br />tlnu.d.;:"We do not believe that
<br />el!Qer:jij,l'tice or logic dictate
<br />th~t ellllirado should hear the
<br />fu.ll expense of a national and
<br />lfitlltnational problem."
<br />,:<J:he necessity of curtailing
<br />water ',use in the San Luis
<br />VilJ1ey.inorder to meet ohliga-
<br />tlqns downstream, the resulting
<br />Mrdship to residents and users
<br />iJ!',fhe~rea, and the depart-,
<br />n\ent's":-reJtictance to reimburse
<br /><idsts other than those allocated
<br />to,'flsIi;:,:wlJdlife and recreation
<br />evoked..cailstic comments from
<br />qi'lf;I\:Aiper, state engineer and
<br />e~ecuti'1$',director of the Dlvi-
<br />Sip!! of 'Water Resources in Col.
<br />orado.: '
<br />- ?IIn :.:.-vrew of the extreme
<br />lJa:rdslil1's" and human sufferi1)g
<br />*~t d\~ults from such limita-
<br />tions, It is difficult to conceive
<br />
<br />:.r'ost
<br />&/71/12-'
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<br />SAN 'LUIS PROJECT
<br />~tColorado Water'
<br />~i'Hearin9 Begins
<br />
<br />t 'By,: ANN SCHMIDT that a department olthe feder-
<br />'j WASHINGTON, The West's al government can adopt such?
<br />t p..recious commodity - callous and unconsclOnahle att!-
<br />mo: r-was the suhject of tes- tude, and deem such sufferings
<br />~l~~ny: before a Senate suhcom- as practical. I cannot concur
<br />mitteeMonday.' :-Vlth a Vlew thaft hplatches more
<br />Witnesses from the Depart- Imp~rtan.ce an. 18 ~n' peo~
<br />ment of Interior, and the state pie, KUlper sa~d.' I
<br />of Colorado, New Mexico and Colorado's pllgbt after accru- I
<br />Texas testified before the suh- ing a dehit of 939,000 acre feet I
<br />committee on water and power of water was descrihed hy sev-
<br />resources of the Senate Int~rior eral witnesses including Robe~t \
<br />Committee on hehalf of a hlll to Wham, attorney for the, R10'
<br />au't h 0 r i z e the construction, Grande Conservation District.
<br />operation and maintenance of The dehit caused Texas and,
<br />the closed hasin project in Colo. New Mexico to join in filing a
<br />rado's San Luis Valley, motion of complaint 'Yith the
<br />The biII was introduced last Supreme Court in 1966.
<br />Fehruary by Sens. G?rdon In order to avoid litigation
<br />Allot! and Peter H. Dommlek, Colorado was forced to accept a
<br />both R-Colo, Allott, a member stipulation which "required (the
<br />of the Interior Commlttee, state) to meet compact commit-
<br />made a statement on hehalf of ments each year, rather than
<br />the b!),k,~po~inic prepared a heing allowed to incur deficien.
<br />statementr WhlCh was read mto cies in adverse water years to
<br />the reoot{i; " he made up from later sur. ,
<br />" _"The::fEoject would salV~ge, pluses, as was'eXpre,ssly !lr~)V,id" .
<br />shalloW'::W'.ound water not hemg ed by in the terms of the com-
<br />beneficially used and dellver pact," Wham said. This tneans
<br />this ~aler whleh. would be that the water officials inten.
<br />otherwi~, ;waste~ l~tO the RlO tionally overdeUver to the lower,
<br />Grande/.~,<))Omml~k s statement states each year and deprive'
<br />said. ' ,:, Colorado users in order to as:
<br />An estimated 100,000 acre feet sure the compact deliveries
<br />of water which would otherWIse won't fail, he explain~d,
<br />evaporate would he put mto th~ ' Witnesses from New Mexico
<br />Rio Grande hy develo~~ent IY' and TeJUls also testified' on Coi.
<br />ap pr 0 x im ate ly 3 we s orado's hehalf in favor of the
<br />tbroughout th~ en~re' ~aII$1~ closed hasin project, as did BiII
<br />a~e~ at a~ estlmate coS 0 Kopman .of Monte ,Vista, pr.es,- .
<br />
<br />mllhon. , "t d th benef'lts to ident of the Rio Grande Water
<br />Allott no e e A 't'
<br />Colorado"and the additional Users SSOCla lOn,
<br />water.,J;hlit would he made
<br />availa1\.\l>'::to the do~nstream
<br />states"\l!': New MexleO and
<br />Texas. "':rhere are also many
<br />environinental benefits to Qe
<br />,achieved hy this project," he
<br />Said. ~--:-:
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