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Show DENVER WANTS WATER SUPPLY Plans Mountain Tunnels to Divert Streams on Western Divide DENVER. Colo.. April 1. t By the I Associated press.) The Colorado rly- ler Commission Friday heard Its first testimony regarding plans for trans-mountain trans-mountain diversion of the waters of the Colorado river Y F. R. Millet la member of the Denver board ot waiter wa-iter commissioners, told the eommis-I eommis-I sinners diversion must bo undertaken If tho city of Denver Is to ohtnln a supply of water for domestic consumption consump-tion for Its growing population. Mr. Mills and other wltnessu declared de-clared 2R0.000 acre feet of water should be diverted from the western slope of Colorado to Denver througn Irrigation tunnels built at altitudes of ipproxlmati I.. IO.OOO feet In the Rocky mountains. Diversion of this amount of water. Mr Mills declared, would not injure the river in its descent Into tho lower basin states. Answering a iuery from Frank C. Emerson, water l ommlssioner of Wyoming. Wyo-ming. Mr Mills declared any pact between be-tween the states should provide for trans-mountain diversion to guara.v.ee Denver ample water for all time for domestic consumption, other city or-glneering or-glneering officials ugveed with Mr. Mills. l I STinM l 11V I TAJLN R. I. Meeker, deputy state engineer of ado. w ho ..pened III. te. hnlea case of tho state of Colorado with a Statement, declared the state Is entitled en-titled to unrestricted use of the waters of the river in Colorad ounder tho State constitution. He declared there was ample water In the river to Irrigate Irri-gate the upper and lower basins for ll time Meeker said tho amount o water used on the Colorado river in i'o.,-obi lor Irrigation does not Injur-? the supply of water In the lower stales, because anly possible over-uso above would return to the stream and flow on to tho lower states. Under questioning ques-tioning by Commissioner Caldwell of I 'trili M. eker said, however that misuse mis-use of the stream In the lower basin would b. ..t Injur;.- to tho supply of the river and that diverting water In the lower basin, as at the Salton Sea, was Injurious. ITER INSURANCE" Commissioner McClure of California who had made a statement of Call-fornla"s Call-fornla"s position at the openlnr of tho hearing1, took issue with Meeker and a lengthy discussion followed. "You may bo sure, with our problem prob-lem n California, o nevor will waste a foot of water," McClure declared. Commissioner Emerson suggested to several witnesses It might bo good "Insurance" u Colorado would agree to accept 1 definite allotment to be set far in excess of her estimated demands de-mands of water for all time. The 1 un 1 mission was unable to secure a definite statement that such an allotment allot-ment for the state was desirable, witnesses wit-nesses taking the position that as "'obr, ! - tate constitution provided provid-ed for unrestricted use of waters In the-state, the-state, an allotmnet was unnecessary. FIERY REMARKS Platte Rogers, counsel In many Colorado Col-orado water suits told the commission commis-sion ho had "never soon the occasion for this commission." "I stand on the right of Colorado to U ie the waters that Mow through streams to the very limit, arid I won't concede any other right," he declared declar-ed Addressing himself to the commissioners commis-sioners from the lower states Rogers declared : "You can build your reservoirs as we had to build ours in Colorado. Wo had to take the storm waters for our reservoirs. You ll have to take them ju t the aain as we did. Let the Imperial Im-perial Valley go through what wo had t.. go through. I fall to see why Colorado should Join a compnet Which surrenders one drop of water." A. J McCune, state engineer of. Colorado, tojtd the commission he favored fav-ored the building of a large dam to protect the Imperial Valley. |