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<br />
<br />year. Those adjustments included
<br />increasing the experimental time from
<br />three months to fouf months. and the
<br />adjustment of the percentage which
<br />was assigned to each of the pdrtici-
<br />palmg companies.
<br />
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<br />
<br />Unanimous agreement was reached
<br />each year except 1977, when one
<br />company did nol agree as fa the start-
<br />ing date, which prt"\.enred a Voluntary'
<br />Program thaI year. The members of
<br />the Board of Trustees, and the farrnen
<br />fhe~ represented. all agreed as fa the
<br />value oi the \\tinter Storage Program,
<br />which permitted them to store a per-
<br />centage of their historical decree in
<br />Pueblo Reservoir, and other off.
<br />channel reservoirs, and then use those
<br />stored waters at times and amounts
<br />which would prove the most benefi-
<br />cial use. During e)"lremely dry yeats
<br />it was found that the stored waler
<br />made the difference between starting
<br />a crop, and not having that opportunity.
<br />In other ~ars, farmers wert' able to
<br />retain \tVinter Stored water until
<br />lht' fall monlhs to help complete
<br />valuablt' crops.
<br />
<br />In 1984 the State Engineer recom-
<br />mended 10 the District and the Bo<ud
<br />of Trustees that the program had
<br />worked ~ry well under a \oUluntary
<br />procedure. and requested Ihat the par-
<br />ticipants petition the Water Court for
<br />a perm,ment decree. A great deal of
<br />time W,3'; spent by allorneys for the
<br />District and participating companies
<br />developing such a decree, and on
<br />December 26, 1984 a petition was
<br />duly filed in Water Court Division 2,
<br />with a majority Of the participants
<br />signing the pelition and several sign-
<br />ing statements oi opposillon.
<br />
<br />Attorneys for the District, and
<br />members of the Board at Trustees,
<br />spent much of 1987 working with
<br />Legal Council for decree holders who
<br />still objected to the Proposed \Vinler
<br />Storage Decree. Those negotiations
<br />culminated in unanimous appr<Ml1 of
<br />the decree in October, and on
<br />Tuesday, N~'ember 10, 1987, the
<br />Honorable John Trace'jo', Water Judge,
<br />Division 2, convened Court at 8:00
<br />a.m. to hear testimony presented by
<br />the District in a prima facie case, to
<br />oblain approval for an Interlocutor\'
<br />Decree for the \tVinrer Storage Pro-
<br />gram. Anorney Ke....in Pratt, for tht'
<br />District called wimesses Charles L
<br />Thomson, General ....'anager of the
<br />
<br />District; Raymond H. \tVillms, Project
<br />Manager, Us. Bureau of Reclamalion;
<br />Robert Jesse, Division Engineer,
<br />Division 2, and Kenneth R. Wright,
<br />Engineering Consuhant for the District.
<br />Appropriate testimony was presented
<br />to the Court. There were no objec-
<br />tions, and after due consideration
<br />Judge Tracey approved the Decree.
<br />Pre~nt in the Court were a number of
<br />the Board of Trustees who had worked
<br />together for many years to develop a
<br />\blunrary \Vinrer Storage Program
<br />which culminated in the Decree.
<br />Ew.pressiom of apprecialion and ja,'
<br />were heard throughout the valley for
<br />weeks after the Decree was signed.
<br />
<br />Saturday, NO\Iember 10, 1990, will go
<br />down in the history books of the
<br />Arkansas Valley as a very significant
<br />"WATER DAY". The Honorable John
<br />R. Tracey, \v.ater Judge, Division 2,
<br />~igned the final Decree for the \tVinter
<br />Storage Program. An Interlocutory
<br />Decree had been appra.€d by the
<br />Court on November 10, 1987, requir-
<br />ing a three ye-ar period for participants
<br />to object to lerm~ and conditions. The
<br />final Decree will enable participants
<br />in iuture program~ 10 make long range
<br />plan~ relali~ to water management
<br />and imprCNements of company and
<br />priv.ltely owned facilities between
<br />N<.Nember 15-March 15, of each ye-ar.
<br />
<br />The members of the Board of Trustee~
<br />oj the Program held their Annual
<br />Meeting in L.a Junta, Friday, October
<br />19, 1990, and heard reports from the
<br />Bureau of Reclamation, Divi~ion
<br />Engineer, U.s. Grological Surwy, and
<br />Corp~ of Engineers regarding actual
<br />operations resulting from the
<br />1989.1990 \tVinter Storage Program.
<br />Mr. Thomson, who serves as Chairman
<br />of the Board, reviewed the actual
<br />result~ of the previous three ~ars:
<br />
<br />1987-1988-186,929 <toe-feet
<br />1988.1989-148.072 acre-feet
<br />1989-1990-129,584 acre-feet
<br />
<br />The membel"5 of the Board, and the
<br />Chairman, e....pre~sed Iheir apprecia-
<br />tion to the officials in the Pueblo
<br />Office of the Bureau of Reclamation
<br />and the Division Engineer for their
<br />careful aCCounting of the \Vinter
<br />Storage amounts, and making relea~
<br />at the request of the owners. The
<br />Board unanimously \1)ted to begin the
<br />nellt Program on .""iovember 15, 1990,
<br />and conclude on March 15, 1991.
<br />
<br />Another important element in each
<br />unanimous agreement for a \Vinter
<br />Storage Program is the "Satellite
<br />Stream Gauging Program" operated ~'
<br />the Office of the State Engineer. The
<br />Arkansas Valley was .-.elected by
<br />COMSAT General Corporation in 1980
<br />as a laboratory ~ite to determine
<br />whether or not such technology was
<br />practical. It prO\led so successful in
<br />three ~ars that the Colorado General
<br />Assembly adopted the program
<br />statewide, and under the supervi~ion
<br />of the State Engineer Dr. Jeris
<br />Danielson, has e....panded the system
<br />statewide. Divi~ion Engineer Jesse, and
<br />Superintendents of various irrigation
<br />and canal companies in the Arkansas
<br />Valley utilize the data for almost
<br />instantaneous administration.
<br />
<br />The program has also recei\led
<br />recognition and honors nationwide.
<br />On December 10, 1987, the Honorable
<br />Harold l. McCormick, President Pro-
<br />Tern Colorado State Senate, accepted a
<br />plaque on behalf of the State of
<br />Colorado, which was presented by the
<br />National Council of State Govern-
<br />ments recognizing the importance of
<br />the Satellite Program. The National
<br />Society of Professional Engineers
<br />pre~nted a similar award to Dr.
<br />Danielson at an Annual Meeting in
<br />Hou~ton in 1985.
<br />
<br />Each year since the stale assumed the
<br />responsibility for the operation of the
<br />Satellite Program, the Stale Engineer
<br />has had to request funding from the
<br />priv.lte sedor, because lack of suffi-
<br />cient funding from the Ceneral Fund.
<br />The members of the Board of Dirt'c.
<br />tors of the District authorized $35,000
<br />to nor only a~sist in the operation and
<br />maintenance of the stations in the
<br />Arkan~s Basin. but in the dEM"lop-
<br />ment of more stations clOd programs
<br />throughout the state. In 1989 Ihe
<br />members of the Board and General
<br />Manager urged membel"5 of the
<br />Colorado General Assembly to assume
<br />full responsibility because the program
<br />is 0;0 essenrial in the orderly
<br />administration of the precious water
<br />resources oi the state.
<br />
<br />The members of the General
<br />Assembly voted to fully fund the
<br />annual operations of Ihe statewide
<br />Satellite Program for the first time in
<br />1991. In previous years, cost sharing
<br />by water organizations was required.
<br />It is also anticipated additional funds
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