Colorado Water
Recreation is a legitimate beneficial use of water according to the Colorado Supreme Court via the Rocky Mountain News [March 16, 2005, "Towns applaud kayaking ruling"]. From the article, "Steamboat, Gunnison, Pueblo, Buena Vista, Salida, Silverthorne and other towns are seeking instream water rights for kayak routes to boost tourism. On Monday the Colorado Supreme Court said the Colorado Water Conservation Board can't limit the volume of water sought by Gunnison for a kayak course. The case returns to the Colorado Water Court, which still has to decide how much water must stay in the river for the kayak course. Vail, Breckenridge, Fort Collins, Golden, Littleton and Longmont already have kayak courses that generate millions in tourism dollars during the summer without taking water out of the rivers. The water fight reflects the conflict between the values of the Old West - agriculture and growth - and those of the New West - tourism and recreation. The high court's ruling also affirmed that recreation is a legitimate, beneficial use of water, said Cindy Covell, attorney for the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District."
The Rocky Mountain News editorial staff sounds off on the court decision [March 16, 2005, "Bring on the kayakers"]. They write, "Unfortunately, the court's sensible ruling is under threat. Senate Bill 62, sponsored by Sen. Jack Taylor, R-Steamboat Springs, seeks to curtail future recreational diversions by imposing a 350-cubic-feet-per-second cap on the amount of water that can be claimed for a whitewater park. For whitewater enthusiasts, that's not much better than filling a large bath tub. Lawmakers surely have better things to do than choke off one of the most promising developments in this state's tourism industry."
Colorado is hoping that the Interior Department will cut releases from Lake Powell in an effort to fill the reservoir again, according to the Rocky Mountain News [March 16, 2005, "Colorado wants to cut releases from reservoir so it can refill"]. From the article, "Reducing the amount of water flowing out of the lake would provide Colorado and its neighbors with a larger buffer against future drought-related demands on their shares of the Colorado River. Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, the so-called Upper Basin states, must deliver 8.23 million acre-feet of water each year from Lake Powell to the Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada. Colorado would like that amount reduced, perhaps to 7.48 million acre-feet. The lake holds 24.3 million acre-feet...Norton is expected to make a decision on reducing Lake Powell releases by May 1. The request comes as Colorado and the other states struggle to craft a federally mandated drought management plan by April that is meant to stretch Western water in dry years."
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