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<br />estimated to be 831:Jad:H1950-1987 data). Thus, due to diversion and use ofreturnbciws, water <br />is used about three times in the Lower Arkansas Valley before leaving the state. . <br /> <br />Ground water levels in the valley rose after irrigation began as a result of canal seepage and deep <br />percolation. Irrigation wells have been drilled in suitable areas and supply about 25 percent of the <br />irrigated acres. These wells have been subject of litigation for decades. <br /> <br />The Arkansas River of southeastern Colorado is one of the most saline rivers in the United States, <br />with total dissolved solids (tds) levels exceeding 4,000 ppm between Lamar and the state line. <br />Water containing more than 2,000 ppm tds is generally considered unsuitable for irrigation, but <br />such water has been used successfully in the lower Arkansas Valley for many years. The salinity <br />problem is discussed by Miles (1977). Most of the salt comes from natural sources in the soil. <br />More information on water quality of the lower Arkansas River and the study area is presented in <br />Chapter 3. <br /> <br />Description of Studv Area <br /> <br />The Ft. Lyon Canal is the largest irrigation company on the Arkansas River, stretching 120 miles <br />and providing irrigation water to approximately 92,600 acres. The study area covered by this <br />report includes Kiowa, Crowley, Otero, Bent, and Prowers counties of southeastern Colorado, and <br />is noted on Figure 1.1. The immediate vicinity of the Ft. Lyon system is roughly bounded by Lamar <br />on the east, La Junta on the south, Eads on the north, and Manzanola on the west, an area of <br />approximately 2,500 square miles, or 2.4 percent of the state of Colorado. The five counties <br />represent the economic region which is under direct influence of production and associated <br />spending distribution of the Ft. Lyon Canal Company system. Most relevant data is available by <br />county. The five county population was 43,183 in 1990. The area includes about 100 river miles <br />of the Arkansas River and the principal towns are Lamar, Las Animas, La Junta and Rocky Ford. <br />It is described in more detail in Chapter 4. <br /> <br />Concurrent Studies <br /> <br />Three other studies of this area are known to be pending or underway. The U. S. Geological <br />Survey, Pueblo Subdistrict (USGS) has conducted extensive research on the Arkansas River of <br />Colorado for many years and is now completing a hydrologic study of the Ft. Lyon System. This <br />report contains some preliminary data from this USGS study. The Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />(CDOW) , in cooperation with the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation and the Lower <br />Arkansas River Commission (LARC), is completing an analysis of water supply alternatives for a <br />proposed Great Plains Reservoirs State Park near Lamar. A group of representatives of six <br />southeastern Colorado counties, known as Task Force 2, is supporting a study of water resource <br />management alternatives for the region. The study team has made every effort to include <br />appropriate information from these studies as it becomes available and to share information with <br />concurrent studies, as directed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). <br /> <br />1-2 <br />