Water Bank at Lake Pueblo May Require Federal Approval: Pueblo Chieftain

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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Tuesday April 03, 2001 wysiwyg: 1191 / http: / /www.chieftain.coni/tuesday /news /index/article/2 SERVICES: I who own water and cities and other entities that Contact us need water. Proponents hope a water bank could Subscribe Advertising allow farmers to make money by renting their General Advertising Rate water to cities in dry years while keeping it for Card Web Development farming in wet years. About this site Career Opportunities Because of that, a water bank could cause water EVENTS to be moved outside of the Arkansas River basin ACTIVITIES: State Fair to a city that wants to lease it, although it would Active Years be on a temporary basis. Summerfest W interfest Guidebook Steve Arveschoug, the district's general manager, Runoff 2001 Pueblo Zoo said there is a way the bureau could grant itself FOCUS ON YOUTH: authority to allow yearly lease contracts for the Headbone Zone water bank, if one is created. The Miscellaneous Classroom Chieftain Purposes oses Act allows the bureau to expand the use School District 60 School District 70 of projects as long as the new uses serve the Pueblo Library District project and aren't opposed by the project's conservancy district. District approval probably won't be a problem for the proposed water bank, Arveschoug said. But the district won't know for some time if the bureau will invoke the miscellaneous purposes authority. If that doesn't happen, the district could ask Congress to grant authority for the water bank to operate at Lake Pueblo. Arveschoug said the authority could be added to a bill the district will soon push in Congress authorizing the enlargement of the reservoir and other storage changes. Water saved at Lake Pueblo under a water bank probably would be stored under a yearly contract "if and when" there is space. In the future, the district plans to create storage space for a water bank in the proposed enlargement of Pueblo Dam and the reservoir, Arveschoug said. But that new space won't be available until after it is built, no sooner than 2013. Back to top � E -mail this story to a friend Print this story A Ded Rreakf0st 2 of 3 4/4/014:25 PM