LPPD000391

• Contract/PO #: C153715
• Contractor Name: Lower Arkansas Water Management Association
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 67
• County: Prowers
• Bill Number: SB 96-124
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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March 1996 Final

INTRODUCTION

The Lower Arkansas Water Management Association (LAWMA) is a non-profit
corporation that was formed to replace the depletions from its members' well pumping. As
of January 1996, LA WMA had 187 members who owned or operated 589 wells. Of this total
membership, 166 were irrigation members who owned or operated 464 wells, 15 were
municipal members who owned or operated 98 wells, and 6 were commercial members who
owned or operated 27 wells. LAWMA's primary service area is the Arkansas River main stem
area below John Martin Dam, although it has a few members out of the main stem area and
a few members in the main stem area above John Martin Dam. Well pumping by LAWMA
members was estimated at 102,378 acre-feet in 1994, of which 88,495 acre-feet occurred
through irrigation wells and 13,883 acre-feet occurred through municipal and commercial
wells.

Because of the recent rulings by the Special Master and U.S. Supreme Court in Kansas
v. Colorado and the recent promulgation of Amended Rules and Regulations by the State
Engineer, the well users in the Arkansas River basin will be required beginning in 1996 to
replace their depletions both to Colorado surface rights and to Usable Stateline Flow in order
to continue to use their wells as sources of water supply. LA WMA has been working on
behalf if its members to develop an augmentation program to satisfy these replacement
obligations. A study was completed by Helton & Williamsen, P.C. in July 1995 that analyzed
LA WMA' s well pumping, pumping depletions, and replacement obligations, and concluded that
such an augmentation program was both technically and financially feasible provided that
LAWMA can obtain a loan from the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) for the
acquisition of replacement water rights. In order avoid a severe economic impact on
LAWMA's members, the repayment of the loan will have to be made over a relatively long
period of years at a reasonable interest rate.

While the conclusions from the July 1995 report continue to be valid, the CWCB
requested further refinement of some of the previously submitted information. The objectives
of this supplemental report are to provide additional data and information. Specifically,
objectives are (1) to further document the historical use of the X-V and Manvel water rights,

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