Enlargement of Pueblo Reservoir Essential

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Enlargement of Pueblo Reservoir essential • Page 1 of 3 The Pueblo Chieftain Online Select file then print to print this article. Publish Date: March 31, 2002 Chieftain photo/Bryan Kelsen Pueblo Reservoir, a keystdne of the Fryingpan- Arkansas Project, stands to be enlarged under plans of the Southeastern Colorado Conservancy District. Enlargement of Pueblo Reservoir essential B Without question, Pueblo Reservoir (Lake Pueblo) is one of the most valuable assets of the citizens in Pueblo and the entire Arkansas River basin. The water stored behind Pueblo Dam has enabled Pueblo and this area to progress from years ago when our available water all ran by us at the first snowmelt, and for the rest of the year we were at best short of water, and at worst, at critical supply levels of drinking water for our citizens, irrigation water for our farm economy, and adequate amounts for our industries and the jobs they provide. Today, our magnificent Lake Pueblo has made possible the storage of that snowmelt whenever it flows down the river, which helps assure both the quality and quantity of drinking water and all the other uses of water in cities and towns in the Arkansas basin. The farm economy up and down the Arkansas has irrigation water when it's needed, plus the storage of "winter water" for use in the next growing season. Water stored in our reservoir is our safety net, personally and economically, when drought conditions prevail. The beautiful Lake Pueblo also is the second largest tourist destination in Colorado, which results in huge benefits to our area economy. There is now aroposal to enlarge the reservoir by 74,000 acre -feet of rapacity, and we should carefully consider what this will do for us. - First, and most important, we would be better assured of survival during a drought with adequate water for drinking, our farmers, and industry. And lithe drought is very severe, at least we would have drinking and personal use water for our citizens. - The towns below Pueble'on the Arkansas all face severe problems with the quality of their drinking water, and a pipeline to all those towns from the reservoir is again being considered. Providing water of adegw to quantity and quality to those tow could well be the factor onwhieh their survival will depend. An expanded reservoir would make that pipeline more feasible in all ways. - *11 of the cities and towns in the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District need more storage to allow greater flexibility in the deliverrailtheis-water. To date, cities, towns and entities in the SCWCD have requested nearly 90 percent of the proposed 74,000 acre -foot increase in the reservoir, which confirms that the proposed expansion is badly needed. - The .economy in the Arkansas Valley is vital to all of us, and the winter water storage would be even more beneficial with the advantages of more water space in the reservoir. http: /Iwww. chieftain. com /printlarchive /2002 /mar /31 /edi3.htm 04/02/2002