Briefing Paper on H.R. 3881

• Description: H.R. 1714/3881 Revisions
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 2
• Date: 3/19/2002
• Author: Subcommittee on Water and Power, Committee on Resourcecs
• Title: Briefing Paper on H.R. 3881
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Meeting

BRIEFING PAPER
LEGISLATIVE HEARING
SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER
COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES
H.R. 3881
10:30 A.M.1334
MARCH 19, 2002
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to engage in studies relating to enlarging Pueblo Dam and
Reservoir and Sugar Loaf Dam and Turquoise Lake, Fryingpan- Arkansas Project, Colorado, and for other
purposes.
SUMMARY:
This Act will authorize the Secretary of Interior to engage in studies relating to the enlarging of Pueblo Dam and
Reservoir, Sugar Loaf Dam, and Turquoise Lake; to enter into contracts for the use of excess storage and
conveyance capacity of certain east slope facilities of the Fryingpan- Arkansas Project for municipal water banking;
to enter into temporary contracts with public or private water bank operating entities and the city of Aurora for the
use of facilities for the impounding, storage, and carriage of non- project water for beneficial purposes; and to enter
into contracts with the Pueblo West Metropolitan District for use of storage or carrying capacity excess of
requirements of the project, for the impounding, storage, and carriage of non - project water for beneficial uses.
BACKGROUND:
The Fryingpan- Arkansas Project is a multi- purpose federal reclamation project that stores and delivers water for
municipal, industrial, and agricultural use within the nine county service area of the Southeastern District, Arkansas
River basin, Colorado. The Project started construction in 1964 with one of its purposes being the diversion of
water from the Colorado River Basin for use in the over allocated Arkansas River Basin. The Southeastern
Colorado Water Conservancy District was created in 1958 to sponsor implementation of the Fryingpan - Arkansas
Project.
The District covers parts of nine counties supplying imported water to sixty -nine municipal water providers' and
thirty ditch companies irrigating 280,600 acres. The current population within the district is approximately 621,000
people. Growth projections indicate that the population will exceed 1.2 million people by 2040. This increased
growth and the accompanying increased water demand will require that existing water management infrastructure be
improved and expanded. Based on these growth projections, the District has over the past three- and -a -half years,
worked to devise a plan for the development of additional water storage to meet demands for the future. The plan,
called the Preferred Storage Options Plan (PSOP), is designed to provide 120,000 to 145,000 acre -feet of additional
water storage capacity within the Arkansas River Basin.
The PSOP includes two elements, which are designed to meet water storage needs into the year 2040. The first
element, phase one, is to maximize the use of existing Fryingpan - Arkansas storage capacity, through re- operations
contracts, will provide up to 50,000 acre -feet and meet needs through 2010. Federal legislation is needed to
authorize this use of excess capacity in the project. The second element, phase two, provides for the enlargement of
Pueblo Reservoir up to 75,000 acre -feet by 2013 and the Turquoise Reservoir up to 19,000 acre -feet by 2025. The
construction and feasibility studies will be locally funded but federal legislation is needed to initiate federal -level
feasibility studies of the proposed enlargements.
SUBCOMMITTEE ACTION:
H.R. 3881, was introduced by Congressman Joel Hefley (CO -05) on March 6, 2002. The bill was referred to the
Committee on Resources, and within the committee to the Subcommittee on Water and Power.
STAFF CONTACT:
Joshua Johnson, Doug Yoder or Kris Mills at x5 -8331, Subcommittee on Water and Power