Senator Says Users Should Help Pay for Waterways

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Senator says users should help pay for waterways By Joey Bunch Denver Post Staff Writer State Sen. Lew Entz, R- Hooper, thinks it's time that environmental- ists and recreational users bring some money to the table in discus- sions about maintaining the steady flow of rivers and streams. During a joint legislative meeting on water issues Tuesday in Denver, Entz said farmers and others invest in pump stations and pipelines that help maintain flows, to the added benefit of recreation and the envi- ronment. So he thinks that anglers, rafters and others who enjoy the water- ways should pitch in to help pay the cost, which amounts to millions of dollars in future projects. "But how do you get money out of them ?" Entz asked other committee members. During a break in the meeting, Entz said he has no plan to put a fee or other levy on recreational users and environmentalists — but he added that the idea has merit. Chuck Wanner, water issues coor- dinator for the San Juan Citizens Al- liance, a Durango -based coalition of environmentalists and San Juan River basin residents, said it would be difficult to divide up such costs fairly among tourists, residents and environmentalists. In addition to a healthy environ- ment, the inflow of tourism reve- nue produced from streams is the backbone of many Western Slope economies, he said. "It's like clean air and clean wa- ter," he said. "It's a general public good, like cheap food prices that are subsidized by the government." Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303- 82o -i24o or jbunch @denverpost.com.