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COMMUNITY MEMBERS TOUR THE ARKANSAS
<br />RIVER BELOW PUEBLO RESERVOIR TO THE
<br />This year the Southeastern
<br />Colorado Water Conservancy
<br />District sponsored a tour of the
<br />lower Arkansas Valley, August 8-
<br />9, 2001.
<br />Bessemer headgate on top of
<br />Pueblo Dam was the first stop.
<br />Below Pueblo Dam we visited the
<br />Board of Water Works of Pueblo
<br />pipeline project, estimated
<br />completion date of March 2002.
<br />The last stop while at Pueblo
<br />Reservoir was the Fish Hatchery.
<br />A total of 12 species of fish are
<br />stocked for distribution statewide,
<br />they consist of: warm water —
<br />Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish,
<br />Black Crappie, Smallmouth Bass,
<br />Grass Carp, and Wipers; cool
<br />water — Tiger Muskie, Walleye,
<br />Sockeye, Striped Bass; cold
<br />water — Rainbow and Brown
<br />Trout. The hatchery, which is in
<br />production year round, receives its
<br />water from Pueblo Reservoir and
<br />shallow wells.
<br />The caravan was then off to the
<br />confluence of the Arkansas River
<br />and Fountain Creek. The District
<br />services nine counties within
<br />southeastern Colorado and El Paso
<br />County is one of them. The water
<br />for El Paso County is diverted
<br />KANSAS BORDER
<br />from Pueblo Reservoir through a
<br />pipeline, known as the Fountain
<br />Valley Pipeline. The Fountain
<br />Creek is return flow from this
<br />pipeline and this time of year the
<br />water level is rather low.
<br />The Excelsior headgate and ditch
<br />was the first of many canal stops.
<br />As the tour continued it was
<br />evident that sand collection is a
<br />major problem at each headgate
<br />(see lower right photo).
<br />As the group headed for Carl
<br />Genova's farm we stopped at the
<br />solar powered /radio accessible
<br />USGS's gauging station on the St.
<br />Charles River. While on Carl's
<br />farm we were able to see his
<br />impeccable weed free crops, and
<br />the tour participants took a shot at
<br />operating the siphon tubes.
<br />Mack O'Neil with Arkansas
<br />Valley Produce gave our group an
<br />impromptu tour of his onion
<br />factory. Along the way we stopped
<br />to watch a cantaloupe crop being
<br />harvested and were shown the
<br />proper way to pick cantaloupe.
<br />We also drove by land that was
<br />revegetated under the Rocky Ford
<br />Ditch, by the City of Aurora.
<br />The canal companies we visited
<br />were: Excelsior, Colorado Canal,
<br />zuscs
<br />Left to right: Phil Reynolds, Tom Dines, Kevin Karney, Scott Mars, Loren Hawkins, Glenn Everett,
<br />Jeanette Bryan, Denzel Goodwin, Dick Hallock, Jane Rawlings, Orville Tomky, John Rose, Jean Van Pelt,
<br />Tom Pointon, Dan Henrichs, Rick Klein, Bernie Gehris, Tom Musgrove, Steve Arveschoug, Charlie
<br />DiDomenico, Mardell Cline, Joe Kelley and Bill Milenski (Doris Morgan, Philip Saletta, and Brian Person
<br />not shown in photo attended first day of the tour).
<br />3
<br />A view of the Bessemer Ditch from the
<br />top of Pueblo Dam.
<br />Bill Milenski (right) explains harvesting
<br />cantaloupe to the group, (left to right)
<br />Orville Tomky, Steve Arveschoug and
<br />Philip Saletta.
<br />Sand Dam at High Line Canal
<br />High Line Canal, Oxford Canal,
<br />Otero Ditch, Catlin Canal, Rocky
<br />Ford Ditch, Holbrook Canal, Fort
<br />Lyon Storage, Fort Lyon Canal,
<br />Kessee, Fort Bent, Amity, and
<br />Frontier. The reservoirs /lakes we
<br />visited were: Pueblo Reservoir,
<br />Lake Meredith, Lake Henry,
<br />Holbrook Lake, John Martin
<br />Reservoir and Great Plains
<br />Reservoir.
<br />(Continued on page S, see TOUR)
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