Last week's excitement over the Million pipeline project has been tempered a bit by opposition that has surfaced, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Million's project faces...environmental, institutional and economic barriers. The environmental issues will be minimal in Colorado because he'll use existing reservoirs, easements and pipeline routes, he said. 'Done right, a pipeline project causes very little land disturbance,' said Million. However, Melissa Kassen, of Trout Unlimited's Western Water Project, said taking a large volume of water from the Flaming Gorge could harm the endangered fish recovery project on the upper Colorado River. Million said the Flaming Gorge, larger than any reservoir in Colorado, holds enough water to protect the recovery project if Colorado draws its share of the river from the reservoir. To lower the institutional barriers, Million has briefed Wyoming, Utah, federal officials and many local water districts on the proposal. Eric Millis, head of Utah's Water Conservation Board, and Mike Besson, executive director of Wyoming's Water Development Commission, said they're concerned about the fish recovery project too. Both said there may be less Colorado River water available for Colorado to use than Million believes. When the Colorado River Compact doled out the river to Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California the figures used came from high water years with above normal flows. During normal years, there isn't enough water to meet the allocations...
"There's already some opposition in Colorado to the project. 'It's unacceptable that the unused portion of the river would all go to the Front Range,' said Eric Kuhn, director of the Colorado River Water Conservancy District in Glenwood Springs. The district oversees the state's use of the Colorado River. Kuhn said Million's estimates about the water available were inflated because projects under construction, including the Animas La Plata in Durango, will tap half the state's unused share of the Colorado. Million said his estimates come from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, which puts the available supply at 500,000 to 1.2 million acre feet.
"Cost, the last traditional barrier, isn't a problem either, Million said. He said the project will deliver water at the market price. Other water experts disagree because the financing the engineering, environmental work and construction will add significantly to the price. Local, state and federal funds are used to build most large projects. 'To get the first gallon, you have to build the whole $4 billion project, and it's hard to get that kind of financing,' Bob Lembke said. Lembke, a residential developer, overcame similar obstacles on a water project that will sell water from the South Platte to the suburbs south of Denver. Lembke said Million might be able to get financing if he had firm purchase contracts for the water, something Million is still working on. 'We don't anticipate any problem with the costs,' Million said. He said revenue from using the water to generate electricity, resale of used water to farmers and other features of the project will offset costs. If Million succeeds, Douglas County water providers are interested in buying the water - but after the project moves farther ahead. 'It could satisfy all of our needs,' said Frank Jaeger, manager of Parker's water district. 'We'd take a good hard look at it. It deserves a good hard look.'"
Category: Colorado Water
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