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Show New Escalante Irrigation Company Has Concerns About Monument Rules By Kim Keefe As work continues on the proposal pro-posal to construct the new Wide Hollow Reservoir, the New Escalante Esca-lante Irrigation Company Board of Directors has expressed concern over how the final draft of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Plan will affect the future fu-ture of this project. Contradictions in the plan have confused those pursuing the new reservoir. For example, in Chapter 2 of the plan under (3) "Other options op-tions for assuring water availability, availabil-ity, if needed," states: "At any point that the above data collection and assessment effort suggests that adequate water to protect Monument resource is not entering the Monument, Monu-ment, or that water is otherwise being depleted to the detriment of the Monument, other measures for assuring water availability would be taken." An example of a measure is described de-scribed under the Presidential Proclamation Proc-lamation in Chapter 2: "A reserved water right may be created by Presidential Presi-dential Proclamation ... If the Monument's needs for water cannot be met by other means, the President Presi-dent could amend the original Proclamation Proc-lamation specifically to include water... as necessary to protect the Monument." This raises the question as to whether the President or Congress will manipulate the existing water rights to satisfy the Monument's : perceived need for water? The : Presidential Proclamation stated -that valid and existing rights would ' remain so. Will they? ;'' Another area of concern is ad- :-dressed :-dressed in Appendix 11, under Wild and Scenic River Suitability in the final draft of the Monument Plan. This section specifically addresses", the Wide Hollow Reservoir and .' states that, "WSR designation may": affect this project, depending on impacts to outstandingly remark- ' able values,..." This raises the question as to whose needs have become more ; important those living in the (See IRRIGATION on page 5-A) IRRIGATION From Front Page area and dependent upon federal land resources, or yearly visitors and the four percent of recreationists that actually utilize the backcountry? The Monument country has adapted and flourished under the high and low water flows in this red rock country. Supporters of the new reservoir can't help but feel that the needs of those creating the Monument Monu-ment supersede the rights of private water ownership by the Irrigation Company stockholders. In Chapter 3, the Monument plan states that, "The proposed Wide Hollow. Reservoir would be located on BLM land outside of the Monument boundary." It goes on to state that at the time the plan went to print, there was no detailed proposal for the reservoir project. The FONSIDecision Record for the reservoir test sites and 2920 Temporary Tem-porary Land Use Permit was signed in May of 1997. The draft Monument Monu-ment plan went to print in November Novem-ber 1998. The BLM then issued a draft Environmental Assessment for the construction of the proposed Wide Hollow Reservoir which detailed de-tailed the project and its effects on Feb. 24, 1999. The final draft for the Monument Plan was printed in July 1999. Whether or not minute details on the new reservoir were available in November 1998 when the draft Monument plan went to print, the proposed reservoir had been in the planning stages and the Company in consultation with the BLM since early in 1997. The need for this new reservoir and the water rights to fill it were in existence prior to the establishment of the Monument. The New Escalante Irrigation Company has spent the last 20 years studying every possible alternative alter-native for the sedimentationdecreasing sedimenta-tiondecreasing storage problems in (See IRRIGATION on page 7-A) I IRRIGATION From page 5-A the old reservoir as evidenced by studies conducted by the Department Depart-ment of Natural Resources, Soil Conservation Service and private engineering firms. The studies investigated dredging, expansion, upgrading of the dam, new reservoir site construction, and exploration for underground water sources, begun be-gun in 1971 and costing in excess of $250,000. An environmental group has referred to the new reservoir reser-voir as an "insidious dam proposal", pro-posal", meaning a sly or sneaky proposal. The New Escalante Irrigation Irri-gation Company directors feel frustrated frus-trated over this label and reiterate that the company has always adhered ad-hered to legal procedures and stayed within legally mandated guidelines in all its business affairs. The environmental en-vironmental group plans to continue con-tinue its defense of the healthy wetland wet-land and riparian areas on desert streams and fight reservoir construction. construc-tion. (The Board of Directors of the irrigation company note that a healthy riparian area was created when the old reservoir was built and has flourished.) Board members and stockholders alike in the New Escalante Irrigation Irriga-tion Company will continue to work with the BLM for the proposed pro-posed dam despite these concerns, in order to protect the lifestyles and needs in this agricultural community. |