[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 7106]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT

 Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 50th 
anniversary of the establishment of the Southeastern Colorado Water 
Conservancy District.
  In the post-World War II era, communities large and small in the 
United States envisioned a period of growth and prosperity. Enthusiasm 
in the Arkansas Valley of Colorado was also high, but one limitation 
loomed large: the water needed to build and sustain that growth was 
simply not available.
  The regional water users' group decided to pursue a bold vision: the 
Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, a complex diversion, storage, and delivery 
system, would move water from the western slope of the Rockies to the 
growing population on the eastern slope. The project itself is as 
complex as the politics of water in the West. It features both western 
slope and eastern slope facilities, some of them at elevations above 
14,000 feet, and multiple dams, reservoirs, tunnels, and conduits.
  Fifty years ago today, on April 29, 1958, a Pueblo, CO, district 
court established under the provisions of Colorado law the Southeastern 
Colorado Water Conservancy District. This administrative organization 
embodied the goals of the regional water users' group, which had proven 
adept at promoting the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project through the memorable 
and highly visible sale of small golden frying pans.
  The original supporters of the Fryingpan-Arkansas, many of whom 
eventually served as board members of the district, were committed to 
seeing its promise made true. Their stalwart efforts led to the 
authorization of the Fryingpan-Arkansas in 1962, and the Southeastern 
District has been managing the project continuously since that time. 
They fought year after year to see this multipurpose project 
appropriated and constructed. Their success brought the additional 
water that the valley and its people had hoped for, and many of them 
lived to see it provide benefits to the Arkansas Valley. President John 
F. Kennedy's visit to Pueblo in 1962 to commemorate the start of 
construction of Pueblo Dam, the largest component of the Fry-Ark 
Project, remains one of the most memorable events in the history of 
southern Colorado.
  Those of us in the West know that the development and responsible 
management of water is critical to people, to agriculture, to business 
and to the future. The Southeastern District has worked day in and day 
out for over five decades to ensure that the project's purpose is 
fulfilled. They work tirelessly in partnership with the people of the 
Arkansas Valley, with their Federal partner, the Bureau of Reclamation, 
and adroitly navigate the rules and regulations of Colorado water law 
to serve the people who depend on this water.
  I commend the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District for 
its diligence, and I commend the many distinguished people of the 
Arkansas Valley who have guided the district during its first 50 years 
as members of its board of directors. They established a tradition of 
vision, leadership, and distinction that will serve the people of 
southeastern Colorado well into their next 50 years.

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