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<br />002428 <br />The Arkansas River provides water to both Kansas and Colorado. The river is <br /> <br />managed in accordance with the Arkansas River Compact. The compact states in <br /> <br />Article IV-D that, "This compact is not intended to impede or prevent future beneficial <br /> <br />development of the Arkansas River Basin in Colorado and Kansas by federal or state <br /> <br />agencies, by private enterprise, or by combinations thereof, which may involve <br /> <br />construction of dams, reservoirs. and other works for the purposes of water utilization <br /> <br />and control, as well as the improved or prolonged functioning Otf existing works. <br /> <br />Provided that the waters of the Arkansas River, as defined in Article II, shall not be <br /> <br />materially depleted in usable quantity or availability for use to the water users in <br /> <br />Colorado and Kansas under this compact by such future development or <br /> <br />construction. " <br /> <br />Irriqation Induced Erosion <br /> <br />Excessive irrigation induced furrow erosion is documentedGoourril'l!3 on approximately <br /> <br />10,000 acres. This occurs mainly in the upper portions (300 feet) of the fields. <br /> <br />Overall irrigation induced erosion averages 77,000 tons per year. Lower portions of <br /> <br />fields are damaged by sediment disposition. An estimated 20,000 tons of sediment is <br /> <br />contributed to the Arkansas each year. The clean water orovided to icriaators since <br /> <br />the Pueblo Reservoir was constructed has maanified this oroblem. Th~is sediment <br /> <br />aenerated travels to the Arkansas River through drains and creeks. The sediment is <br /> <br />contributing to the reduction in flow capacity of the Arkansas River downstream and <br /> <br />reducing the storage of the John Martin Reservoir. In addition to sediment, high <br /> <br />concentrations of totol diccolvod oolido (TDSt, heavy metals, trace elements, and <br /> <br />ol.iHS <br />