Hearing on HR 3881: Testimony of Steve Arveschoug

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I would refer the Subcommittee to the written testimony of the Arkansas River Outfitters Association with whom we've worked very closely for ten years. Cooperation is the key to the success of this program and that same approach has great potential for the Pueblo Flow Management Program. It's important for the City of Pueblo to understand that the Fry-Ark Project is a regional water supply project that meets the needs of communities throughout the Southeastern District, including Pueblo and at least 20 other cities and towns, as well as farmers in the Arkansas Valley. Through the Board of Water Works of Pueblo the citizens of Pueblo benefit today from the storage and exchange of water into Pueblo Reservoir. The citizens of Pueblo also benefit from the recreation opportunities at Pueblo Reservoir. Those opportunities will be enhanced with the additional storage capacity. The Board of Water Works of Pueblo currently has a long -term storage contract to use excess capacity in Pueblo Reservoir to store non - project water for the benefits of the citizens of Pueblo. Other communities in the District, whose citizens also pay taxes to repay the Fry-Ark Project construction and O &M costs, want that same opportunity, and that opportunity would be granted to them through H.R. 3881. The PSOP was designed to be a regional project just like the original Fry-Ark Project. It will benefit communities District -wide, including Pueblo. The Board of Water Works of Pueblo has signed an agreement with the District securing their participation in the future enlargement of Pueblo Reservoir. Based upon that agreement the proposed enlargement would provide Pueblo an additional 5,000 acre -feet of storage to help meet their future demand for water. Again, other communities in the District are working toward the same goal of providing water resources to their citizens. All the participants in the PSOP process understand that the development of water resources to meet population growth and irrigation needs must work with environmental and recreation needs. And, that is the goal of the PSOP. To the extent we have not fully addressed the concerns of the City of Pueblo regarding recreation below Pueblo Dam or their compliance with their wastewater discharge permit requirements, we will continue to work toward a positive resolution. In fact, the PSOP participants met on March 13 and are prepared to offer another proposal to the City of Pueblo to address their concerns. 10