WSP09830

• File Number: 8131.600
• Description: Southeastern Colorado Water conservancy District - SECWCD
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 2
• Date: 1/1/1972
• Title: Annual Report 1971 - The Future of The Arkansas Valley is Its Water - The Future of Its Water is the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

o
c)
...
Ql)
~
,...

construction, preservation, operation and main-
tenance of tunnels, resen'oirs, regulating basins,
diversion canals und works, dams, power plant~
and all necessary works incident thereto, and to
acquire perpetual rights to use of water from such
works; to sell and dispose of perpetual rights to
the use of water from such works to persons and
corporalions. public and private.

(9) To adopt plans and specifications for
the works for which the district was organized,
whkh plao'5 Elnd specifications may at any time
be changed or modified by the Board. Such plans
shall incude maps, profiles, and such other data
and descriptions as may be necessary to set forth
the location and character of the works. and a
copy thereof shall be kept in the office of the
district and open to public inspection.

no To appropriate and otherwise acquire
water and water rights within or without the
State; to develop, store and transport water; to
subscribe for, purchase and acquire slack in canal
companies, water companies and water user as-
sociations; to provide, sell, lease and deliver
",,:ate~ for municipal and domestic purposes, ir.
ngatlOll, power, milling, manufacturing. mining,
metallurgical and any and all other beneficial
uses and to derive revenue and benefits there-
from; to fix the terms and rates therefore; and to
make and adopt plans for and to acquire, con-
struct, operate and maintain dams, reservoirs,
canals, conduits, pipelines, tunnels, power plants
and any and all works, facilities, improvements in
property necessary or convenient therefore. and
in the doing of all said things to obligate .itseIf
and .execute a.nd perform such obligations ac-
cor~ll1g to the tenor thereof: provided, the sale,
leasmg and delivery of water for irrigation and
domestic purposes as provided in this section
shall only be made for use within the district.

1

!
I
,I
I
II
..,1
II
I
'...1'
.:.
.'...1
-.i
,

;1
"
::

. ,. ~ i
."

:1
I
ii'

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT

Colorado State Statutes further provide the Dis.
trict shall be under the direction of a Board of Direc-
tors, consisting of fifteen persons representing the area
covered by the District. The Court Order creating
the District ruled that each of the nine Counties in
the District would have two appointed Directors, with
the exception that one person would represent that
portion of Prowers and Kiowa Counties within the
boundaries of the District. Other counties represent.
ed are: Chaffee, Fremont, El Pa30 Pueblo Otero
Crowley and Bent. ",

The members appointed to the Board are obli.
gated. to carry out not only the provisions of the State

'-:,
:i
.',
,_.,
.:1
.,
',I
i'l
"
..jl
'11'"
:i

.-,....~. .-,;' ."

. ...... .~.'. . ..-;:~~-: ".':.~:'~

Statutes, but are also bound by such other ag,rec!,"ents
and contracts as are entered into by the DistrIct In the
conduct of water business, in the interest of the pre-
sent and future citizens within the Conservancy Dis-
trict.

The citizens in the Arkansas Valley realized long
before 1958 that water supply held the key to the f?
ture growth and prosperity of the Arkansas Ba~In. In
Colorado, and as a result of this sincere conVictIOn
petitioned the Court in Pueblo for permission to form
a Water Conservancy District.

Not only has the District grown in populatio!l
since its creation, but also in valuation. When formed
in 1958, it had an assessed valuation of slightly less
than $400 million, and on January 1, 1972. the valu-
ation was $729.313,485.00. Thus it can be seen tbe
fifteen men assigned the responsibilities as Directors
for the nine Countiesl and nearly 400\000 people in the
District, have a serious responsibility.

Mr. Keith l. Webb, of La Junta, Colorado was
appointed by Wate.r Judge William Gobin to fill the
vacancy created by the untimely death of William
Bauserman, a Charter member of the Board, and Mr.
Webb attended his first Official meeting on January
21, 1971. PrE'sident ]. Sid Nichols appointed Director
Webb to the Legislative, and the River Administration
and Education Committees.

TESTIMONY BEFORE CONGRESS

During the year. Officials from the District joined
with United States Senators Gordon Allott and Peter
Dominick and U. S. Representatives Wayne Aspinall
and Frank Evans, and with representatives from the
Arkansas Basin Interstate Committee, representing
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado, to testify
before Apfropriation Subcommittees of Congress in
support 0 adequate appropriations for water reo
source programs along the entire reach of the Arkansas
River. The first such request was made in behalf
of the United States Forest Service, in the amount of
$125,000, to continue construction on the sewage treat-
ment facilities at Turquoise Lake. Without such
funds it was going to be necessary that the Forest Ser.
vice restrict use at this beautiful high mountain lake
to daytime use only. Fortunately, the Congress and
the Administration did authorize the increase of
$125,000.

On May 17, 1971, testimony was presented before
the Appropriation Subcommittees in support of in-
creased appropriations for United States Bureau of
Reclamation and U. S. Corps of Engineers Projects
in the Arkansas River Basin area. In September, the
Congress increased the appropriation for the Frying-
pan.Arkansas Project by $1,350,000, which would
permit the awarding of the second and final contract

-',-_.

" :~'.~:~~.;,:-~-:.~- '.:;-

..,;......--. -.,.