WSP10312

• File Number: 8131.600
• Description: Southeastern Colorado Water conservancy District - SECWCD
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 2
• Date: 1/1/1977
• Title: Annual Report 1976 - 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

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Agricultural Sector East of Pueblo, requested that
space be built into Pueblo Reservoir to permit them
to store their waters during the non-irrigation season.
Many meetings were held to develop a voluntary Pro-
gram. and on December 1, 1975 the 13 entities began
an experiment which, optimistically. will prove to be
one of the most beneficial Watee Management Con-
cepts ever employed. A total of 32,179 acre.feet was
stored during the 90-day period. and during 1976, the
indiddual entities could call for their water during
times of critical needs. It was interesting to watch how
the owners of the water husbanded this valuable re-
source during an extremely dry year, by requesting
only a minimal amount for 8 specific period of time,
and during the very infrequent rains, would request
that the run of water he stopped rather than putting
precious stored water on grounds which were then
being wetted by natural precipitation.

Representatives from the companies continued to
work as a Board of Trustees and developed a second
voluntary Winter Storage Program which began No-
vember IS, 1976, and would continue through Febru-
ary 28, 1977. A number of variations from the 1975-
1976 Program were approved by the Board of Trustees
to determine the flexibility of the over.all Program,
and to provide comparisons which could be considered
for the subsequent years.

ANNUAL BUDGET

Colorado State Statutes require that entities such
as the District prepare a detailed Budget each year.
setting forth the estimated income and identifying
anticipated expenditures in each category. According-
ly, a Preliminary Budget was developed and approved
by the Board in August. and members of lhe Staff
reviewed that Preliminary Budget with the State Divi-
sion of Local Government. At the October 21, 1976
meeting of the Board of Directors of the Southeastern
Colorado Water Conservancy District, a formal Public
Hearing was conducted at I: 30 p.m. to hear comments
on the Budget, and after due deliberations, the mem-
bers of the Board approved the Budget for 1977. Al
the November 1976 meeting, lhe Board Amended the
1976 Budget to accommodate expenditures in certain
categories which had not been anticipated.

WATER LITIGATION AND LEGISLATION

~rater Laws in the State of Colorado, and Com-
pacts as between the State and other States, have
become extremely complicated, and it is, therefore,
necessary that the Board of Directors and Legal Coun.
sel carefully monitor all changes in Colorado Water
Law, and aU Applications Filed in Divisions 2 and 5
which could adversely affect the Fryingpan-Arkansas
Project. The members of the Board carefully review

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all Applications at each monthly Board meeting, and
after due deliberation will authorize the Legal Counsel
and Engineering Consultants to do additional re-
search, and if it is determined the Project could be
seriously injured, the Board will authorize the Legal
Counsel to File a Statement of Opposition.

During 1976 the District was heavily involved in
a number of Water Cases in the Arkansas Valley,
primarily related to Applications for changes of water
rights, or plans of augmentation, to accommodate Pro-
posed Subdivision Development. During the course of
the Court Cases, voluminous Engineering and Legal
data are submitted, so that the Court can make a
determination which will protect existing water rights,
and at the same time provide maximum beneficial
use of Colorado's waters. It is anticipated by the Board
that such Court Decisions will establish "Case Law,"
and will reduce the financial requirement of the Dis-
trict and individual water owners who would otherwise
feel compelled to contest a number of Applications.

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COOPERATIVE STUDIES

The members of the Board of Directors of the
District have long had a Policy of developing factual
information OIl the entire water regime in the Arkansas
River Basin, and have entered into Cooperative Agree-
ments with various Federal and State Agencies to de-
velop such data.

A Cooperative Study with the U.S. Geological
Survey was continued in 1976, which developed infor-
mation on the ground - water characteristics in the
Salida-Buena Vista.Poncha Springs triangle, the Wet
Mountain Valley, and the Lower Arkansas region. The
results of these studies will be carefully measured by
the District, D.S.C.S. and state officials, in an attempt
to develop a long-range Water management Program
utilizing the facilities of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Proj-
ect and such other Projects as may be developed from
time to time.

The members of the Board also approved a re-
quest from the Board of Trustees of the Winter Storage
Program that a Cooperative "Transit Time - Transit
Loss Study" be conducted in conjunction with the
1976-1977 Winter Storage Program. It is contemplaled
that when entities, which have stored their water in
Pueblo Reservoir, make a call for water in the late
spring or summer months of 1977, that officials from
the US Geological Survey will monitor the flows
throughout the entire reach to John Martin Reservoir
to determine how fast various volumes of water flow,
and how much is disbursed into bank or channel stor-
age, evaporation, phreatophytes, or other inadvertent
diversions. This will enable the State and Division
Engineers to assign a realistic transit loss to each of

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