Colorado Water
From e-mail from Senator Wayne Allard: "WATER INFRASTRUCTURE BILL FUNDING
Last week the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, of which
I am a member, approved $64 million in funding for Colorado water
projects to be provided over the next five years.
This funding, in the form of a federal contribution to the State
Revolving Loan Fund that will be distributed by the state of
Colorado, is being provided for safe drinking water treatment and
water control projects.
This is good news for the state of Colorado. As federal
water-quality mandates increase, this funding will help provide our
smaller communities with the assistance they need to comply with new
water-pollution control and drinking-water treatment standards.
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BYPASS FLOWS RULING MUST BE REVERSED
Last week I sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and
Attorney General John Ashcroft requesting that the federal government
appeal the decision in the U.S. Department of Agriculture vs. Trout
Unlimited case. The letter was co-signed by Senator Ben Campbell and
Colorado U.S. Representatives Bob Beauprez, Tom Tancredo, Scott
McInnis and Marilyn Musgrave.
In this case, the court determined that the U.S. Forest Service must
impose bypass flows on water users in the state. The undesirable
effect of this would be to take water from existing users,
specifically from farmers and municipalities across the West, without
regard for state law. The imposition of bypass flows would mean that
50 percent to 80 percent of the water stored on Forest Service lands
in Colorado would be taken away from historic users during a time of
continuing drought for environmental and recreational purposes.
This ruling cannot be allow to stand. It is critical that the Forest
Service and other federal agencies abide by the individual states'
water laws. I will not stand by and let the federal government steal
our water."
7:47:53 PM 
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