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t <br />• <br />ESTABLISH EQUII.~RIUh1. SO!~iET4~lES THE NATURAL CHANGES ARE llR4IvI.4T1C <br />AND VISIBLE FOLLOWING 100-YEAR FLOOD EVENTS. FOR EXA_'~1PLE. fsUT, h10RE <br />COMMON IS CHANGE WHICH IS ;MEASURED OVER GEOLOGIC TTltE. <br />AGRICULTURAL AREAS HAVE BEE\ DRIED UP~THE LOST CHANNEL OF THE <br />RIVER WAS THE HOME TO AN HISTORIC DITCH HE.4DG.4TE, THE WALLACE <br />DITCH, WHICH WAS FIRST USED 1Ti 1876 AI~'D WHICH IS ONE OF THE OLDEST <br />WATER RIGHTS IN THE VALLEY. IT WAS USED CONTINUOUSLY FOR OVER 100 <br />YEARS. THIS DITCH, WHICH CARRIED WATER FOR AN AVERAGE OF 90 DAYS PER <br />IRRIGATION SEASON DURING THE 19705 AI~'D 19805. IT IRRIGATED EVEN WF~N <br />THE FLOW IN THE ANIMAS WAS AS LOW AS 188CFS. BLR' IT HAS BEEN DRY NOW <br />FOR 10 YEARS, DUE TO THE LOSS OF THE EAST CHA'~''v'EL OF RIVER Wi-llCH N01~' <br />LOOKS LIKE A WASTELAND. <br />DURING THE 70S AND 80S THE AVERAGE IRRIGATION SEASON SAW THE <br />WALLACE DITCH RECEIVE AN AVERAGE OF 673 ACRE FEET OF WATER. WHAT <br />THAT MEANS IS, IT WA5 ENOUGH WATER TO FLOOD AN AREA OF MORE THAN <br />ONE SQUARE MILE WITH WATER 1 FOOT DEEP. BUT NOW IT DOES NOT CARRY <br />ONE DROP OF WATER. <br />WHAT SHOULD BE DONE AND WHAT CA?~i YOU DO' FIRST OF ALL, LET ME <br />STATE THAT IT IS NOT MY GOAL TO SHUT DOVr'N ALL GRA~•'EL h4TNTNG. IT iS A <br />LAWFUL AND NECESSARY LOCAL INDUSTRY. BUT, THE P.VDUSTRY .NEEDS TO <br />RECOGNIZE THE CU3iULATiVE IMPACT OF THE IvILV~G Bl' ALL OF THE <br />OPERATORS OVER ALL OF THE YEARS. IT THEN MUST WORK WITH <br />MONITORING AGENCIES TO REACH COhIPLIANCE WITH THE REQUIRE.VTENTS OF <br />THE LA1WS GOVERNR~'G WHAT ARE KNOWN AS '~IVATERS OF TH'E UNITED <br />STATES." THIS WILL HALT THE PROGRESSION OF ADDITIONAL D.4MP~GE. AND, <br />RESTORATION OF PREVIOUS DAMAGE NEEDS TO BEGL'S IMMEDL49fELY AND <br />BE LINKED TO ANY PERMITS LSSUED.! <br />ALL OF US WHO HAVE Aiv' CNTEREST iti REVERSING THIS IvIAN-hi4DE <br />DEGRADATION OF THE ANLhtAS RIVER AND THE ANI•tii4S RIVER VALLEY NEED <br />TO BECOME KNOR'LEDGEABLE AIr'D EXPRESS OUR ~'[EWS TO THE U.S. ARMY <br />CORPS OF ENGINEERS PRIOR TO THEIR MAICLNG A\l' RE-PERMITTING DECISION, <br />THE DEADLINE FOR WHICH IS AUGUST. <br />