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<br />:f <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Lower Ark Valley Continues Quest for 'Super Ditch': A water management plan nicknamed "Super <br />Ditch" is getting a favorable reception in the Arkansas Valley, its sponsors say. <br />Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservation District staff and board members have attended several <br />meetings of ditch company shareholders in mid-December and have outlined the concept of the program. <br /> <br />Last month, the board approved a $330,000 study by HDR Engineering to see how the authority could be <br />structured, given varying water rights held by the seven ditch companies which are envisioned as <br />participants. <br /> <br />While the study is not expected to be complete until April, the district anticipates it will be able to explain <br />the concept more fully at a Feb. I farm and ranch symposium in Rocky Ford. <br /> <br />The Lower Ark board wants to set up a district that would lease water to users by fallowing a percentage <br />of farms. The plan is designed to provide for equitable pricing of water, more access to leases by more <br />farmers and keep water rights in the valley by easing the pressure to sell. <br />The district is also planning a trip to the Palo Verde Water Management District in California in January. <br />The district was discussed at a past symposium and would be similar in operation to the one envisioned <br />for the Arkansas Valley. <br /> <br />The Lower Ark also is making a $99,000 request from the state Interbasin Compact Committee through <br />the Arkansas Basin Roundtable. The request has cleared the roundtable's needs assessment committee. <br /> <br />SE District Talks About Fry-Ark Protection: A long-term contract between the Bureau of Reclamation <br />and Aurora would payoff a federal loan on the project more quickly, but a bigger priority may be to <br />ensure the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project is well maintained, a top water official said in early January. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />"The district stands to benefit with almost $45 million in payments from Aurora to Reclamation over the <br />next 40 years under a proposed long-term storage and exchange contract. The money would go a long <br />way toward paying off the debt for the Fry-Ark Project, authorized by Congress in 1962. The cost of the <br />project so far has been $498 million, along with $87 million for interest during construction. <br /> <br />The Southeastern district's share of that total is $135 million for repaying municipal, industrial and <br />irrigation costs. The Fountain Valley Authority (Colorado Springs, Security, Widefield, Fountain and <br />Stratmoor Hills) is repaying $65 million for its pipeline from Pueblo Dam. After this year's payment to <br />Reclamation, the district still owes $83 million and the debt should be paid off at least eight years ahead <br />of schedule on the 50-year federal loan. Payments began in 1982. <br /> <br />The repayment is aided by two factors: the rapid growth of Colorado Springs in the 44 years since the <br />project was authorized and contracts for temporary storage of non-project water in Lake Pueblo, both by <br />in-basin project members and Aurora. In addition, the sale of project water is applied to Reclamation <br />costs. <br /> <br />The contracts have become a bigger part of paying down the debt than water sales in recent years. <br />Charges for water sales to project members are about $300,000 a year, while contracts bring in $1 million <br />to $2.5 million annually. Property taxes contribute $5.6 million. <br /> <br />Reclamation takes out payments for operation, maintenance and repairs before applying payments to the <br />debt. Because municipal and industrial charges carry a 3 percent interest, and irrigation charges are <br />interest-free, the district has chosen to pay down its M&I obligation more quickly. <br /> <br />. But is there an advantage to paying off the agricultural side of the equation more quickly? <br /> <br />25 <br />