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Home My WebLink About820733.tiff • wATEH a SPELL . REPORT Col ijoifirar foagmas• 1390 Logan St,Rm.312•Denver, Colorado 80203• Phone: (303) 837-0612 Di*JicRavey, Editor April 16, 1982 STATEMENT OF J. WILLIAM McDONALD, DIRECTOR, COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD. BEFORE THE ENEMY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEES, COMMITTEES ON APPROPRIATIONS, UNITED STATES SENATE AND UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON FY 83 APPROPRIATIONS FOR COLORADO WATER DEVELOPMENT AND FLOOD CON- TROL PROJECTS. WASHINGTON, D.C.. MARCH 29-30. 1982 Introduction am J. William McDonald, Director and Secretary of the Colorado Water Conserva- tion Board. I am testifying on behalf of the Honorable Richard D. Lamm, Governor of Colorado; Mr. D. Monte Pascoe, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources; and the Board itself, which is the state agency charged with- the protection. conservation. and management of the water resources of the State of Colorado. Summery of Requests The State of Colorado urges Congress to maintain the funding levels included in the President's recommended budget for the Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers. In addition to the President's recommended budget. we respectfully request that the FY 83 appropriations for the Bureau and the Corps include: (1) 4 sum adequate to reinstate construction on the Narrows project and $3.25 million to initiate construction on the Animas-La Plata project. (2) funding to continue planning on the proposed Dominguez Reservoir project, 'and (3) $250.000 to continue with phase II advance engineering and design work on the proposed Fountain Creek flood control project at Pueblo. • We would also call to your attention the readiness of Colorado to consider finan- cial participation in the cost of constructing the Narrows -and Animas-La Plata projects. The Colorado General Assembly has made available $30 million for this purpose. We are anxious to resolve issues concerning front-end cost-sharing in order that Colorado might . proceed to meet its vitally important water resource development needs. Details of Request--Bureau of Reclamation (Water Development Projects) For those items already included in the President's recommended budget. we urge that you maintain the funding levels requested. In particular. we support the requested funding for continuation of projects under construction (i.e., the Dallas Creek, Dolores, Fryingpan-Arkansas. Closed Basin and Uncompahgre projects). With the exceptions noted below, the President's recommended budget is adequate for the timely execution and con- tinuation of reclamation programs in Colorado. We would caution, however, that any re- ductions in these budget requests, particularly for construction activities, would- be detrimental to the water users of the State of Colorado and, in the instance of the Closed Basin project. to the interests of the states of New Mexico and Texas as well. ©20733 r�� `rye, V/ai/b ') WATER SPECIAL REPORT -2- April 16, 1982 We take exception to the President's recommended budget insofar as it does not contain funding for construction on the Narrows and Animas-La Plata projects. We respectfully request that this committee include $500,000 of construction funds for the Narrows project and $3.25 million of construction funds for the Animas-La Plata project. The Narrows project was authorized by Congress in 1970 and was in a construction status in 1977 when it was included on the Carter Administration's hit list. At that time, activity on the project was suspended even though property acquisition and final engineering and design work were under way. The Bureau has reprogrammed $500,000 to the project in FY 82 and the President's recommended budget includes $500,000 to com- plete pre-construction activities. Under the circumstances, it should be possible during FY .83 to reinstate selected construction activities, such as property acquisi- tion, thereby expediting this long-delayed project. We respectfully request that an adequate sum be appropriated for this purpose. With respect to the Animas-La Plata project, we respectfully urge Congress to in- clude $3.25 million in the FY 83 budget to initiate construction. This is a joint Colorado-New Mexico project designed, among other things, to address many of the prob- lems which confront the Indian reservations in the project area. In addition, the pro- ject holds the potential of helping to resolve Indian reserved rights claims. Other components of the project will serve non-Indian populations in Colorado and New Mexico with municipal water. Finally, project water would significantly strengthen the irri- gated agricultural economy of southwestern Colorado. We wish to draw to your attention the readiness of Colorado to consider financial participation in the cost of constructing the Narrows and Animas-La Plata projects. In this regard, the Colorado General Assembly has recently authorized the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority, which is a political subdivision of the state, to consider participating in the financing of these two projects. The Development Authority has available to it $30 million for this purpose. We are most anxious to resolve the issues which have been raised by the Reagan Administration with respect to state participation in front-end cost-sharing. We want Congress to be aware of the fact that we are prepared to consider such should it be the desire of Congress to change the historical means by which reclamation projects are financed. We also want Congress to be aware of the fact that Colorado's other four authorized projects--Fruitland-Mesa, San Miguel , Saver; -Pot Hook, and West Divide--continue to have our support. Although we are not requesting funding for these projects in FY 83, we will be working with the Bureau of Reclamation in the year ahead to find ways to ready them for construction. This will include consideration of state participation in their fi- nancing should that appear desirable. The second item with which we take exception is the failure of the President's recommended budget to include general investigation funding for continued planning on the proposed Dominguez Reservoir project. The draft feasibility study released in December, 1981, indicates that use of the reservoir as a municipal and industrial (M&I) water supply facility deserves further study. We respectfully request that sufficient monies be appropriated in FY 83 to enable the Bureau to complete an analysis of this potential project. As the state continues to evaluate this proposed project, we will keep you informed of our views. WATER SPECIAL REPORT -3- April 16, 1982 Details of Request -- Bureau of Reclamation (Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program) The seven states of the Colorado River Basin have endorsed a coordinated, basin- wide approach to the reduction of salinity in the Colorado River. The salinity control projects being studied, planned, and constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation are an integral component of the overall salinity control program. We endorse the President's budget request for this program and invite the commit- tee's attention to the importance of maintaining the funding levels which the President has recommended. In addition, we would call your attention to the detailed testimony submitted on behalf of the seven states in the name of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum, in which testimony we concur. Details of Request -- Corps of Engineers The state believes that the sums contained in the President's recommended budget are, with the exception noted below, adequate for the timely execution and continuation of federal flood control programs in Colorado. We would caution, however, that any reduction in these budget requests would unnecessarily jeaopardize the lives and proper- ties of many thousands of Coloradans. Especially important is the President's request for construction on the South Platte River channelization project below Chatfield Dam. Located in the heart of the Denver metropolitan area, this is a critical flood control project. It is imperative that construction be initiated in FY 83 and maintained on schedule thereafter. The matter with which we take exception is the failure of the President's recom- mended budget to include $250,000 for phase II advance engineering and design work on the proposed Fountain Creek flood control project. The proposed project is vital to the well-being of the residents of Pueblo, Colorado. In order to continue with advance engineering and design work, we respectfully request that an earmarked appropriation be made for that purpose under the authority of the line item which is denoted as "Arkan- sas River and Tributaries above John Martin Dam, Colorado." I appreciate the opportunity you have afforded me to impose upon your busy schedule today. The fact that Colorado and other states have had the opportunity to present a case before you should remind us all that the legislative processes of our government are still the best that have yet to be devised. We thank you for your time and courtesy. Hello