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Feasibility Evaluation of the Arkansas Valley Pipeline <br />Water Works! Committee <br />June 2003 <br />The availability of exchange capacity in the Arkansas River between the historic <br />point of diversion for the ditch/canal and Pueblo Reservoir under the relatively <br />junior priority of the exchange right decreed by the Division 2 Water Court. <br />Availability of sufficient and reliable storage in Pueblo Reservoir to permit year- <br />to-year carryover of water stored by exchange. <br />Only limited information exists concerning available exchange capacity to Pueblo Reservoir <br />for the subject water rights and ditch/canal company shares. The Division 2 Office of the <br />State Engineer and the SECWCD has not completed any investigations of available exchange <br />capacity. There is no Colorado Decision Support System database and State-sponsored water <br />rights model for the Arkansas River Basin. In order to determine the potential for exchange <br />for the subject water rights and ditch/canal company shares, it will be necessary to conduct <br />detailed studies for each specific water right and ditch canal company share. It will also be <br />necessary to include consideration of recent decreed exchange rights and applications for <br />exchange affecting the reach of the Arkansas downstream from Pueblo Reservoir. This <br />evaluation is therefore limited to evaluating the water quality impacts of the potential <br />upstream water rights exchanges. <br />3.2.5 Evaluation of Effects on Arkansas River Water from Water Rights <br />Substitutions and Exchanges <br />Results of previous investigations for this project indicated it would be necessary to exchange <br />approximately 4,300 ac-ft per year of water rights and ditch shares presently owned by <br />participating municipalities and water districts to storage in Pueblo Reservoir in order to meet <br />the estimated 2020 annual demand of 18,200 ac-ft. The remainder of the 18,200 ac-ft would be <br />supplied from Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water and exchanges of "measured municipal return <br />flows" under a decreed 1939 exchange priority. It will be necessary to file an application in <br />District 2 Water Court for a right of exchange for the approximately 4,300 ac-ft per year of <br />existing water rights and ditch shares to storage in Pueblo Reservoir. <br />Exchanging existing diversion water rights and ditch shares to storage in Pueblo Reservoir <br />will potentially reduce the amounts of "dilution water" available in the reach of the Arkansas <br />River from Pueblo Reservoir to the original point of diversion of the water right that was <br />exchanged to storage in Pueblo Reservoir. The purpose of this evaluation is to identify the <br />effects on Arkansas River water quality that could be expected to result from possible <br />exchanges and substitutions of water rights currently held and used by municipalities and <br />water districts in the project area. <br />22 <br />GEI Consultants, Inc. 01284 03-06-30 Feasibility Evaluation Final <br />