PROJC01741 ‎(3)‎

• Contract/PO #: C153768
• Contractor Name: Lower Arkansas Water Management Association
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 67
• County: Bent
• County: Prowers
• Bill Number: SB 96-124
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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Flows, and 2) inflow to conservation storage. Colorado well users may use the account to
regulate historical consumptive use and historical return flows associated with acquired water
supplies. Up to 1,500 acre-feet may be stored in the account to replace depletions with respect
to inflow to conservation storage. Such water may then be transferred to conservation storage.

Colorado must provide 500 acre-feet of consumable water to the account each year
prior to April 1 for use by Kansas. This "Storage Charge Water" does not count against any
replacement obligations. If Colorado delivers to the account more than 10,000 acre-feet in a
year, including the 500 acre-feet transferred to Kansas, an amount equal to an additional
storage charge of 5 percent of the delivery greater than 10,000 acre-feet will likewise be
transferred to Kansas. As a condition to the approval of the 1997 and 1998 replacement plans,
the State Engineer required LAWMA to provide the 500 acre-feet of Storage Charge Water to
the Offset Account. In March 1997, the storage charge water was purchased by LAWMA from
Colorado Springs and it was delivered to the Offset Account from Lake Meredith. In 1998, the
water was again purchased from Colorado Springs but it was not delivered to the Offset
Account until late June when the danger of spilling John Martin Reservoir had passed.

LAWMA has three sources of water which could be regulated by the Offset Account
including:

1) interests in the Highland Irrigation Company,

2) water stored in the Manvel, X- Y Graham and Stubbs Article II accounts, and

3) annual purchases of in-basin consumable water from Colorado Springs and
Pueblo.

The water supplies developed by LAWMA's interests in the Fort Bent Ditch, the direct
flow rights associated with the Manvel, X- Y and Stubbs Ditches, and the water supplies
obtained from Colorado Beef are available below the Lamar Canal headgate. These supplies
would have to be exchanged upstream past the diversions for the Lamar, Amity, Fort Bent, and
Keesee Canals into John Martin Reservoir. Most of the time there are no opportunities to
exchange these supplies due to river calls by one of these ditches.

The use of the Offset Account would allow LAWMA to regulate the water developed by
its interests in the Highland Canal rather than using the water to directly replace depletions.
Oftentimes, LAWMA's other water supplies provide adequate replacement water during April,
May and June. During these months, the Highland water would accumulate in the Offset
Account, less evaporation charges, and then be transferred to Kansas for replacement of

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