Hatfield vs. McCoy part II: Colorado Water wars just getting warmed up.

• Author: Taylor, Bart
• Position: From the PUBLISHER

In his influential 1986 book, "Cadillac Desert--the American West and its Disappearing Water," Marc Reisner tells of then-Arizona Gov. B.B. Moeur calling up the National Guard in 1934 to prevent California from appropriating Arizona water. His gambit provokes chuckles today, and did then, though Moeur was perfectly serious. Such is the fierce competition for water in the West.

It's still an uneasy truce between parties to the Colorado River Compact of 1922--the agreement that divides water among states that rely on the river. Only last month the states effectively updated the Compact by agreeing on a more modern framework to resolve disputes and encourage cooperation.

But as interstate feuds subside for the time being, an ugly fight is developing between water interests within Colorado. Trouble's brewing, right here in River City. The Grand Junction militia may sortie on the west side of Eisenhower Tunnel before long.

Water sharing, including huge west-to-east diversions, has been a fact of life in the state for decades. Colorado's urban areas drink from large compounds located on the Western Slope--some backing up water from the Colorado and its tributaries.

It's the future that has the Western Slope on edge, though.

More and more the "pump-backs" and pipelines being contemplated to move more water west to east affect the Western Slope's own ambitions: The industries that drive the region's growth--agriculture, energy, tourism--require water. And more of it. Diversions are being evaluated in a different light. For every acre-foot of water lost to the East, officials in the West now ask, at what cost?

The West's anxiety has been heightened by development along the Front Range. Metro planners have at times proceeded as if an endless supply of water is available west of the divide. The Western Slope has understandably viewed this sense of entitlement as arrogant. Tour the Southeast Denver metro area, and it's easy to assume that public and private officials have never let water, or the potential lack of it, slow down the next subdivision or golf course. Ongoing concerns that growth may not take into account water issues, until it's too late, may not be unfounded.

Respect issues aside, uncertainty is also fueling mistrust. A stunning lack of consensus exists over how much water is available to be equitably divided.

This is especially true of the Colorado River.

The aforementioned Colorado River Compact of 1922 divided the river equally between...