Hearing on HR 3881: Testimony of Steve Arveschoug

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Chairman Calvert, Congressman Hefley, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today in support of H.R. 3881. I'm Steve Arveschoug, General Manager of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District (the District). I've worked with the constituents of the District on the development of this legislation for nearly five years, and I'm excited and pleased that the Committee will now consider supporting this local initiative to prepare for the future water resource needs in southeastern Colorado along the Arkansas River. H.R. 3881 represents just the starting point in the implementation of the District's Preferred Storage Options Plan (the PSOP), a plan that is designed to help provide additional water storage capacity to serve the future domestic and irrigation water needs of the 680,000 constituents of the District's nine - county service area, while protecting water quality, and assuring that recreation and fishery values are represented and enhanced. Before I discuss the Preferred Storage Options Plan further, and address the specifics of the legislation, allow me to offer some important background information. Background - -The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District is the local sponsor of the Fryingpan- Arkansas Project (the Fry-Ark Project), a multipurpose project constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) that stores and delivers water for municipal and agricultural use within the nine - county service area of the District, Arkansas River basin, Colorado. The Fry-Ark Project was authorized by Congress in 1962 and provides a supplemental supply of water, and storage for native agricultural and municipal water supplies, to serve a population of 680,000 and to irrigate approximately 200,000 acres within the District. As this Committee understands too well, building consensus among the diverse set of interests in water resources is challenging. Many efforts to wisely plan for the effective use of water bog down for decades, just give up, or are never even started because of the commitment it takes to work through the issues and solve problems. I can tell you there have been days in this process that I would have found it a much easier trek to just give up. But, there is a great deal at stake in this effort. Like other regions in the western United States, southeastern Colorado is growing. The District's population is expected to grow to over 1.5 million by the year 2040. Most of that growth will occur within Colorado Springs and Pueblo, but several of the rural communities within the District will grow as well. 2