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Show -2- In October, I prepared questions and a report for hearings of the Bureau of Reclamation on a critical water issue centered around the use of water from the Colorado River. Its entire length - Wyoming to Mexico! Since rivers from the Uintas eventually flow into the Green River and then into the Colorado, the use of these wild and scenic rivers is part of the larger issue. These wild mountain rivers, continually sustained from snowpack and precipitation on the Uintas, are a major source of water for northern Utah. This is semi-desert country, and water is scarce. However, in order to supply or allocate water to the Salt Lake Basin, west of the Uintas, where greater Utah populations have been, the Bureau of Reclamation has planned the Central Utah Project which will dam, divert, or dewater every single Uinta River and its spawning tributary. These rivers flow over National Forest lands and sustain wildlife and fisheries and have outstanding esthetic value. The Forest Service is obligated to manage and sustain wildlife- yet under western water lav; - the beneficial use of water does not include THE RIGHT TO FLOW. The Bureau of Reclamation, then, under an existing Water Storage Act and with its past power in the federal government and under pressure from Utah legislators - allocates water resources belonging to the nation for the sole benefit of the State of Utah. (This is a corrupt and complicated issue of collusion! The Larger Issue The Colorado River is the major water source for the entire southwest. Waters from this river have to rupply cities, industry, agricultural uses, water power, and recreation opportunities. Because the water is limited, a system of "water rights" has developed: the guy applying for so mam/ acre feet of water per year, gets first handle on available water depending on the date he applied for water. Now, there isn't enough water to go around. The west is not only growing in populations, but with the impending enormous water demands for coal, oil shale and other mineral developments, there is a real crisis of use arising. Coal developers buy up agricultural water rights and agriculture will eventually lose out. Available water is overcommitted. Back in the good old days of Wayne Aspinall, of Colorado, and the federal support of western power developers'*, huge coal fired power plants were developed along the Colorado, using and committing waters from this River for these developments. The power produced was primarily sent to large cities such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas - but the power sites were located near coal deposits where air pollution affected desert lands rather than the cities. The Bureau of Reclamation was the lead federal agency in planning all water storage projects (dams) required to supply water for these coal fired power plants. In the process of increasingly high water consumption and allocation from this River, it has become highly saline and is losing its value as water for agricultural use in the Imperial Valley in California - the bread basket of the country. Action to gain control of the water in the Colorado and its use E a r l y in the C a r t e r a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , an attempt to stop these pork b a r r e l water s t o r a g e p r o j e c t s came out in a C a r t e r " h i t l i s t ". * UHHKTVJ- ick^&L ^ o f t c t i o n o(- ix),\d\\\ey \rzctcJ\crs O^JL JT^UU^ (UAJLfa^l u^JL^,, |
