Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-04-01
COLORADO HAS 4
To WATER
IN sTATE:,sAYS
Plat Rogers, in Hearing at
Denver, Says He Has
"Never Seen the 0cca-
sion for" Commission.

Denver. Colo, March 81 (by the
Associated Press. 1.-The Colorado
ariver commission this afternoon
heard it's first testimony regarding
plans for trans-mountain diversions
At the waters of the Colorado river.
w. Il. r. Mills, member OF the
Denver board of water commas
sioners, told the commission diver
Hions must be undertaken IL tne
city Of Denver Is to obtain a sup
ply Of water for domestic consunip
tien for its growing population.
Mr., Mills and other witnesses de-
eiared 100000 acre feet Of water
should be diverted from the western
slope of Colorado to Denver through
irrigation built at attitudes of APP
proximately 10000 feet In the
Rocky mountains.
Would Not Injure River.
Diversion Of this amount OF
water, Mr.. Mills declared, would
not injure the Mver in its descent
into the lower basin states.
Answering a query from Frank
q Immersion, commissioner or
Wyoming, Mr.. Mills declared any
pact between the state should pro-
vide for trans-mountain diversion
to guarantee Denver ample water
for all time for domestic consump-
ton. Other city engineering ofll-
Gals agreed with Mr.. Mills.
r. /. Meeker, deputy state en-
tlgineer of Colorado, who opened the
6technical case of the state of Colo
#rado with a statement today, de-
cleared the state is entitled to I'M
Restricted use of the waters OF the
river in Colorado under the state
Acpnstitution. He declared there
was ample water in the river TO
4irrigate the upper and lower basins
for all time. Meeker said the
amount of water used on the Colo
r&do river in Colorado for irriga-
tion does not injure the supply OF
water in the lower states, because
any possible overuse above would
return TO the stream and flow on
to the lower states. Under question
ing by Commissioner Caldwell, of
Utah, Meeker said, however, that
misuse Of the stream in the lower
basin would be of injury to the
4 Supply of the river and that di-
n verting water in the lower basin,
as at the Salton sea, was injurious.
commissioner Mcclure, of Cali
fornia, who had made statement
or Califo-nia's position at the open
4 Ing of the hearing, took issue with
"A Meeker and lengthy discussion
\ Followed.
s4s"You may be sure, with our
nroblem in California, we never will
4 waste n foot of water" Mcclure de-
H elared.
S Commissioner Emerson suggest
L ed to several witnesses 1t might be
\ good insurance" If Colorado would
agree to accept a definite allotment
I to be set far in excess of her esti-
mated demands of water for all
time. The commission was unable
to secure definite statement that
such an allotment for the state was
desirable, witness taking the posi-
ton that as Colorado's state con-
4 stitution provided for unrestricted
use of waters in the state, an allot-
ment was unnecessary.
platt Rogers. counsel in many
Colorado water suits. told the COM
mission he had never seen the &C.
casion for this commission"
"I stand on the right of Colo
RADIO to use the waters that flow
through streams to the very limit,
and I won't concede any other
right" he declared. There isn't
an acre in the Imperial valley OF
California that is more entitled to
| the waters of the Colorado than our
own state. Nature has given us
first use of the water. Colorado
doesn't need commission. The
law of nature has decreed we may
use the water as it flows"
Addressing himself to the COM