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FRY -ARK PROJECT WATER ALLOCATION
<br />The District and it's Water
<br />Activity Enterprise allocated a total
<br />of 159,757 acre -feet of Project
<br />Water and 18,139 acre -feet of
<br />Project Water Return Flows to
<br />agricultural entities during the 2000
<br />irrigation season. The District also
<br />allocated 18,006 acre -feet to
<br />municipal entities. These allocations
<br />were awarded in three separate
<br />allocations. The District also held
<br />over approximately 50,000 acre -feet
<br />of unallocated Project Water and
<br />Enterprise Project Water for
<br />allocation next year.
<br />The District imported 44,830 acre -
<br />feet of Project Water from the West
<br />Slope in 2000. The abundant supply
<br />of Project Water in 2000 was due to
<br />significant amounts of East and
<br />West Slope Project Water carried
<br />over from previous years.
<br />By mid September agricultural
<br />entities had taken delivery of
<br />approximately 75 percent of their
<br />total allocations and have until May
<br />1, 2001, to take delivery of the
<br />remaining allocations. Municipal
<br />users have taken delivery of
<br />approximately 4 percent of their
<br />total 2000 allocations.
<br />The demand for Project Water
<br />during the hot and dry 2000
<br />irrigation season resulted in a
<br />significant increase in reservoir
<br />storage space. There is
<br />approximately 120,000 acre -feet of
<br />conservation storage space currently
<br />available within the Project. This
<br />includes 20,000 acre -feet in
<br />Turquoise and Twin Lakes
<br />Reservoirs, and approximately
<br />100,000 acre -feet in Pueblo
<br />Reservoir.
<br />Based on current estimates, there
<br />should be sufficient conservation
<br />storage space available for the 2000-
<br />01 Winter Water Storage Program
<br />2000 Fry -Ark Project Tour
<br />The 2000 Fryingpan- Arkansas
<br />Project Tour was held September
<br />13 -14, 2000, with 26 participants
<br />from throughout the district. Our
<br />first stop was at the Bureau of
<br />Reclamation to meet Tom
<br />Musgrove, Facilities Manager and
<br />tour the Reclamation's new office,
<br />then we headed to the top of
<br />Pueblo Dam. Here we viewed the
<br />Pueblo Reservoir and saw the
<br />Safety of Dam repair work that
<br />was done on the dam. We also had
<br />the opportunity to enter the dam to
<br />take a look at how the gate system
<br />operates.
<br />The convoy headed Northwest
<br />on Highway 50 to the Fivepoints
<br />rest area, part of the Arkansas
<br />Headwaters Recreation Area
<br />(AHRA), to meet Dave Taliaferro,
<br />Bureau of Land Management
<br />(BLM) and J.W. Wilder, Colorado
<br />State Parks. AHRA stretches from
<br />Leadville to Pueblo (148 miles)
<br />which will begin November 15,
<br />2000, and conclude on March 15,
<br />2001. Additional space should also
<br />be available for If & When storage
<br />contracts.
<br />Forecast for 2001 Project Water
<br />imports will not be available until
<br />next spring. Current estimates are
<br />based on the long term average of
<br />70,000 acre -feet. Current storage at
<br />John Martin Reservoir indicates that
<br />it is unlikely that the District will
<br />have the opportunity to exercise its
<br />East Slope decrees. A heavy snow
<br />pack this winter and/or a major
<br />storm event could change the current
<br />situation. Whenever possible the
<br />District will maximize Project yields
<br />for both its East and West slope
<br />decrees.
<br />Written by: Tom Simpson, SECWCD,
<br />Water Resources Manager
<br />and has worldwide
<br />for'
<br />t
<br />recognition
<br />�.
<br />whitewater boating and
<br />C
<br />trout fishing. There is
<br />more whitewater
<br />;L'
<br />boating on the Arkansas
<br />-
<br />River than on any other
<br />From left to right: Tom Pointon, Judge Dennis Maes, Larry Cox, Janna
<br />in the United
<br />Ackerman, Gerald Wilson, Ron Ackerman, Gib Hazard, Leah Ash, Ed
<br />river
<br />Bailey, Alan Ward,
<br />Bernie Gehris, Ralph Adkins, Joust Vonderbonk,
<br />States, and more than on
<br />Thelda Bailey, Leroy Mauch, George Sweet, Wayne Whittaker, Pete
<br />all other Colorado rivers
<br />Jacobson, James Amos, Tom Musgrove, Kevin Karney, Phil Reynolds
<br />combined. Sixty percent
<br />picturesque as ever, with the
<br />of the Arkansas River flows
<br />illumination of the autumn colors.
<br />through private lands, while 30
<br />The Mt. Elbert Conduit is a 10.5 -
<br />percent runs through BLM lands
<br />mile -long, 90- inch - diameter pipe
<br />and 10 percent through other
<br />that conveys water from Turquoise
<br />public lands. Every drop of water
<br />Lake to Mt. Elbert Forebay. The
<br />belongs to someone, somewhere.
<br />Halfmoon Diversion Dam intercepts
<br />As the tour continued we found
<br />the excess flows of Halfmoon Creek
<br />our way to Twin Lakes and the Mt.
<br />for diversion to Mt. Elbert Conduit.
<br />Elbert Power Plant. Here we
<br />Water delivered to the Forebay is
<br />learned about turning our valuable
<br />used for generation of power in the
<br />water resource into energy. As we
<br />Mt. Elbert Pumped - Storage
<br />drove by Mt. Elbert Forebay and
<br />Powerplant. The powerplant is at the
<br />Halfmoon Diversion Structure the
<br />northwest corner of the lower lake of
<br />view of the mountains were as
<br />(Continued on page 4, see TOUR)
<br />3
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