PUB00047

• Year: 2000
• Title: SECWD/Arkansas Basin Preferred Storage Options Plan Final Draft Report
• Author: GEI Consultants, Inc
• Description: SECWD/Arkansas Basin Preferred Storage Options Plan Final Draft Report
• Publications - Doc Type: Water Resource Studies

Final Draft - Preferred Storage Options Plan
Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District
June 8, 2000

storage to meet year 2040 water demands. By virtue oflocation, importance to current District-
wide water management, and cost factors, the enlargement of existing Project reservoirs is an
attractive solution to meeting identified storage needs. Several new dam projects also have been
identified. The enlargement of both Project and non-Project reservoirs has been investigated.
An important element of future water management for the District is the potential to store Project
water in non-Project facilities, such as Lake Meredith. Re-operation of Project facilities to allow
storage of non-Project water, storage of Project water in non-Project space, and raising of
existing Project dams (Turquoise and Pueblo) will require extensive institutional and legal
reviews and perhaps changes to legislation authorizing the Fry-Ark project.

3.3.1 Description of Fry-Ark Project Re-operations

The potential for re-operating storage in the Fry-Ark Project has been studied in the past
by the USBR and engineering consultants for CSU. Building on these studies,
Montgomery Watson (MW), under contract to CSU, performed a comprehensive
evaluation of re-operation potentials as part of the development of the preferred storage
options plan for the District. The modeling studies were performed with the oversight
of the District, the USSR, and members of the Modeling Subco1'll.1-nittee. This section of
the report presents an overview of the re-operation concept; results of the detailed
modeling investigations by MW; and discussion of key policy, institutional, and cost
issues that will need to be addressed.

The Fry-Ark Project reservoirs include Ruedi on the West Slope and Turquoise, Mt.
Elbert, Twin Lakes, and Pueblo on the East Slope. Of the total active conservation
storage in the East Slope reservoirs (417,223 af), 111,822 af is non-Project storage in
_ what is termed long-term contract space, and 305,40 I af is Project storage. Under current
policies, a participating District entity can store non-Project water in Project storage
space under "if-and-when" contracts.

3.3.1. J Overview of the Re-operation Concept

Stated simply, Fry-Ark Project re-operation involves the reallocation of existing storage
space and/or modifYing current operational policies of the East Slope Project reservoirs
(i.e., Arkansas Basin facilities). The goal ofre-operation is to allow entities that currently
benefit from the Project to use Project storage to help maximize the yield of their non-
Project water rights. Two re-operation scenarios were considered.

. Re-operation Scenario A - A portion of project storage space would be
reallocated as non-Project storage by modification of the Project District's
Allocation Principles and Project Operational Policies of the District and

ID GEl Consultants, Inc.

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