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Show SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS WEDNESDAY JULY 31, 1996 News 6 Storm brewing over Zion Park Federal Reserved Water Rights By Todd Macfarlane The State of Utah is presently Do you recognize this house? do, please call Jo Smith at 644-- 5 154. She is trying to identify it for the Kanab Heritage Council. Your help would be greatly appreciated. If you Beware August heatwaves Here are a few tips to help you and clothes evaporates, it will keep your cool during the dog cool your skin. Fans. If you do not have an air days of summer. Baths and showers. Bathe in conditioner, use a fan to draw water temperatures around 75 cool air into your home at night degrees F. This cooler water pro- and to provide good indoor cirvides great relief from the heat, culation during the day. Drink reasonable amounts of because it can take away extra body heat 25 times faster than water often. Do not wait until cool air. you are thirsty to drink quanti- Watch salt use. Check with ties of water, because your body your doctor before you increase needs more fluid than thirst will the amount of salt or potassium indicate. By the time you feel in your diet. Do not take salt thirsty, you may already be dantablets without your doctors gerously dehydrated. Go swimming. Head for your advice. Wet your hair or wear a wet community pool or local waterAs the water on your hair ing hole and dive in! with the National Park Service to resolve issues regarding the quantity, nature and priority of Federal Reserved Rights in Zion National Park. The concept of Federal Reserved Water Rights stems from United States Supreme Court cases, in which the United States Supreme Court has held that regardless of conventional water rights and priorities under western water law prior ap- propriation systems, the federal government has unquantified reserved water rights for each federal land reservation, including national parks, Indian reservations, national forests, etc. The whole idea of Federal Reserved Water Rights is contrary to the basic legal principals prior appropriation system of western water law, and in some instances, has the potential of reversing the effect of years of water use. Unlike essentially all other water interests which are required under western water law to put water to beneficial use or lose the right to use the water (use it or lose it doctrine), under the federal reserved rights concept, federal reservations, including Zion Park, would not Wednesday Night at the Gazebom be required to put the water to any conventionally defined eficial use, and would never lose the right, regardless of whether the water was used (beneficially or otherwise). In fact, the mary purpose of such rights in Zion Park would be for essen- tially no other purpose than to maintain naturally fluctuating flows, with accompanying erosion and other natural processes. In other areas, conflicts involving federal reserved right issues have resulted in very ex pensive, and lengthy litigation, in which both the states and the federal government have spent millions of dollars in litigation attempting to protect their various interests. Because the National Park Service has not prevailed in several of those cases, for various reasons, Zion National Park and the Virgin River have been targeted as the next possible legal battleground in the war over federal reserved ben-negotiati- ng pri-Wat- er water rights. Unfortunately for the State of Utah, because of the results in some of the prior cases, the Park Service appears to be priming and preparing to go beyond the mark in Zion. This leaves the state in a very precarious position. Should it go to the mat and spend millions of dollars on this issue in protracted, expensive litigation, or attempt to settle the issue by negotiation, and hopefully save all the parties millions of dollars, while potentially jeopardizing state water rights and interests? n fact that It is a River water has become Virgin a very coveted commodity in this arid region. Based on proxwell-know- imity and drainage patterns through the park, the future use and development of significant Kane County water interests in Virgin River water are at stake in the federal reserved rights negotiation process. In an attempt to quantify, prioritize and resolve issues regarding the Zion National Parks claims to Virgin River water runningthrough the park, without expensive protracted litigation, state water officials are presently attempting to negotiate a settlement with the National Park Service. At the same time, the Kane County Water Conservancy District is actively involved in a county-wid- e water master planning process, to help determine the future wa- ter needs of Kane County, based on anticipated future growth, and identification and development of projects to help meet those needs based on limited water supplies. In an effort to coordinate and merge the county master planning process with important federal reserved rights negotiations, and help insure that the State does not make any commitments that will jeopardize Kane Countys ability to meet its future water needs, the Kane County Water Conservancy District is sponsoringa meetingwith state officials to address the status of the Zion Park Federal Reserved Water Rights negotiations, and Kane Countys interests and stake in the process. State officials, including Bob Morgan, State Engineer, Ted Stewart, Director of the Department of Natural Resources, and Michael Quealy, Chairman of the Attorney Generals Natural Resources Division, are expected to be present at the meeting. The meeting is presently scheduled for Thursday, August 8, at 7 p.m., in the District Court Room at the Kane County Courthouse, 76 North Main, Kanab, Utah. All interested parties are encouraged to attend. August 12 last day to register for Arizona September primary A notice from the Office of the Recorder, Flagstaff, Arizona, reminding all Arizona citizens that August 12 is the last day to register for the September 10, 1996 Primary Election. You are eligible to vote in the Primary if you have registered on or before August 12, 1996 with a recognized party (i.e., Democratic, Republican, etc.) If i H I I 1 Old Bam Playhouse 50 Discount Coupon Good for entire party! I I you have moved, changed your name or party affiliation since you last registered, you will need to with the Recorders Office, City Clerks Office, or pick up a registration form at any distribution site such as APS, Citizens Utilities, libraries and most banks. Registration forms that are mailed in must be dated the day of the cutoff (August 12) and received within five days after the cutoff in order to be counted. For more information, call Coconino County Recorders 9 Voter Registration Office at or 779-658- |