Colorado Water
Senator Wayne Allard is co-sponsoring the Salt Cedar Control Demonstration Act, according to this editorial from the Pueblo Chieftain via the Denver Post [February 3, 2005, "Allard and the thirsty tamarisk"]. From the opinion piece, "It is estimated that tamarisks siphon up to 4.5 million gallons of water per day, or 4.5 million acre-feet of water per year, from Western waterways, exacerbating the recent drought. The tamarisk is a feathery, tough-to-kill plant that grows prolifically in poor soils. The tree covers up to 1.5 million acres in the Southwest, where its dense thickets have choked out native vegetation. Tamarisk leaves excrete a salty residue that kills native plants. The trees spread with billions of tiny seeds which travel on the wind. Recently tamarisk growths have been noted along the South Platte River in the northeastern part of Colorado."
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