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Feasibility Evaluation of the Arkansas Valley Pipeline Water Works! Committee June 2003 3.2.3 Potential for Exchanging Existing Water Rights Upstream to Pueblo Reservoir The purpose of evaluating the potential for exchanging existing water rights upstream to Pueblo Reservoir is to estimate the feasibility of supplying approximately 4,350 ac-ft by exchange of existing water rights and ditch canal company shares to storage in Pueblo Reservoir. The estimated 4,350 ac-ft of potential exchange represents the difference between the total estimated 2020 average annual water demand (18,200 ac-ft) for the participating entities and the water available from Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water plus measured municipal return flows. (9,643 ac-ft plus 4,200 ac-ft). For purposes of this evaluation, the following sources and amounts of supply are assumed: • Fryingpan-Arkansas Project: 9,643 ac-ft. This assumes that the total allocation of Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water to municipalities east of Pueblo will be utilized. • Exchanged measured municipal return flows: 4,200 ac-ft. This assumes that sufficient storage and exchange capacity exist to exchange the estimated potentially available measured return flows of Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water from cities, towns, and water districts participating in the proposed project to storage in Pueblo Reservoir. • The remaining 4,357 ac-ft of the estimated total 18,200 ac-ft annual demand would be satisfied by exchanging existing water rights and ditch/canal company shares to storage in Pueblo Reservoir. The data in Table 3.4 summarize the existing municipal system and water supplier water rights and ditch/canal company shares for communities and suppliers east of Pueblo. The communities and water suppliers east of Pueblo have a variety of water rights and ditch/canal company shares that are used for direct supply and augmentation purposes. In order to use these rights as sources of the incrementa14,357 ac-ft of water supply for the proposed project, it will be necessary to change these water rights to an alternate point of diversion at Pueblo Reservoir by substitution and/or exchange. The feasibility of storing water in Pueblo Reservoir under the priorities of the water rights and ditch/canal company shares by substitution and/or exchange will depend on a number of factors: • Successful change cases in Division 2 Water Court for changing these water rights to alternate points of diversion at Pueblo Reservoir and allowing for storage by exchange and/or substitution. • The ability to change ditch/canal company bylaws that presently restrict use of ditch/canal company shares outside a county or service area of the canal/ditch. 21 GEI Consultants, IriC. 01284 03-06-30 Feasibility Evacuation Final