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Judge: DOI Erred In Giving Away Water Rights at Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP

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Published Date

September 21, 2006

Blcacanyon_copy     Some time ago, probably close to a year, I heard that while Congress did a great job of creating Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, the folks at Interior did a miserable job in failing to reserve enough water rights for the Gunnison River that flows through it. Imagine that!
    Well, here's a bolt of good news: A federal judge has tossed out Interior's deal to give away water to the state of Colorado without first considering the national park's needs.
    "We get another chance to craft a solution that protects the river and the park, as well as historic and future water users within the Gunnison Basin," Wendy McDermott, executive director of High Country Citizens' Alliance, one of the plaintiffs in the case, told the Gunnison Country Times.
    Judge Clarence Brimmer's ruling hinged in large part on the failure of Interior to hold any public hearings on the disposal of water rights.
    You can read the nitty-gritty here.

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