Colorado Water
Denver Water might be giving up too much in the recent agreement around the South Platte River, according to an opinion piece from the Rocky Mountain News [February 25, 2004, "Denver potential loser in South Platte plan"]. From the editorial, "The crucial part of the plan is a promise by the water board to forfeit forever its right to build a 1.1-million acre-foot dam on the Two Forks site. (The original Two Forks Dam proposal was, of course, vetoed by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1989.) The board also pledges not to build a smaller, 330,000 acre-foot dam at the site for at least 20 years. But that's not all. The board would kick in $1 million toward an "endowment" to fund improvements along the river; guarantee minimum and maximum stream flows for the protection of trout fishing; accept a permanent ban on new projects in Eleven Mile and Cheesman canyons, and create two organizations to monitor streamflow management and any proposed water projects. Considering Colorado's recent water woes, that's quite a sacrifice. What might the water board be getting in return? A promise from the U.S. Forest Service and certain environmental groups not to ask for "wild and scenic" designation along 72 miles of the river between Eleven Mile Reservoir and Waterton Canyon. Such designation would stop all development there and prevent the water board from creating any more storage."
6:30:42 AM 
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