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<br />Final Draft - Preferred Storage Options Plan <br />Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District <br />June 8, 2000 <br /> <br />Overall, there appear to be no water quality impacts, associated with the alternatives, that would <br />preclude any of them from implementation. As described in Chapter 3, implementation ofre- <br />operation should include a program of increased water quality monitoring in the Basin. Water <br />quality impacts of the Fry-Ark re-operations would be essentially the same as described below <br />for Project reservoir enlargements. Summaries of anticipated water quality issues associated <br />with the storage options and alternative storage developments are provided below: <br /> <br />Reservoir Water Quality Impacts <br /> <br />. Enlarging Pueblo Reservoir could result in minor degradation of reservoir water <br />quality. Increased reservoir retention time could encourage accumulation of <br />nutrients, eutrophication, and algae problems. These impacts would probably <br />continue to be confined to coves and other shoreline areas where water is not <br />well-mixed. Long-term average salinity in the reservoir may improve under any <br />of the scenarios compared to historical conditions. <br /> <br />. Enlarging Turquoise Lake would have no significant reservoir water quality <br />impacts. Water quality in Turquoise Lake would remain excellent and very <br />similar to existing conditions under any of the enlargement alternatives and <br /> <br />C'tnr~ OP Cf'''''" 'lM f'\C' <br />",..""......0.... ..n........J......u............ <br /> <br />. Enlarging storage in Lake Meredith may have adverse impacts on lake water <br />quality. Increased reservoir depth and retention time appear likely to aggravate <br />existing problems with lake stratification and eutrophication. Long-term salinity <br />and selenium concentrations are estimated to increase by up to 10 percent, <br />depengi.ng on the alternative ultimately developed. Larger lake surface areas may <br />result in more significant water quality impacts. Potential changes in the salinity <br />of Lake Meredith outflows may make the water less suitable for irrigation of <br />alfalfa, com, and other moderately salt-tolerant crops in the Lower Basin. A data <br />collection and modeling program is recommended to better understand potential <br />water quality impacts of physical and operational changes to Lake Meredith prior <br />to enlargement. Greater "turn-over" of storage in Lake Meredith could increase <br />the current problem offish loss from the reservoir. This issue would need to be <br />addressed in permitting. <br /> <br />. Gravel lakes may be small storage facilities having short retention times. They <br />could be managed to have water quality similar to the Arkansas River. <br /> <br />. Enlargement of the proposed Williams Creek Reservoir may tend to aggravate <br />water quality problems associated with storage of high-nutrient reclaimed water. <br /> <br />J\PROJECTS\9906I\Reporul.Prc:fm-ai SOP FinaI.wpd <br /> <br />4-3 <br /> <br /><n GEl Consultants, Inc. <br />