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<br />ARKANSAS BASIN <br /> <br />Basinwide Conditions Assessment <br />The SWSI value of -0.3 indieates that for February <br />the basin water supplies were near normal. The Natural <br />Resourees Conservation Serviee reports that Mareh 1 <br />snowpaek was 115% of normal. Flow at the gaging station <br />Arkansas River near Portland was 325 efs, as eompared to <br />the long-term average of 357 cis. StDrage in Turquoise, Twin <br />Lakes, Pueblo, and John Martin reservoirs totaled 68% of <br />normal as of the end of February. <br /> <br />Administrative/Manaaement Coneerns <br />The month of February proved to offer interesting <br />ehallenges in administration even though stream flows <br />eontributing to the various winter storage programs are <br />vastly improved over the past few years. Participants in the <br />Winter Water Storage Program opted to a larger degree to <br />store water in Pueblo Reservoir as opposed to some of the <br />off-ehannel downstream reservoirs historieally used. As a <br />result the gates at Pueblo Reservoir were elosed exeept for <br />a small amount of water delivered to the Pueblo Board of <br />Water Works Northside river intake, with most of this flow <br />being released through the Bureau of Reelamation/Division <br />of Wildlife fish hatehery just below the dam. The result of this <br />administrative step to honor the ealling water right was <br />eomplete eurtailment of exehanges by Colorado Springs and <br />other entities who were left with the option of delivering their <br />transmountain and fully eonsumable return flows aeeruing at <br />the Fountain Creek eonfluenee on down the Arkansas River <br />to the Colorado Canal for storage in Lake Meredith or Lake <br />Henry Reservoirs. Flows beeame so low through the City of <br />Pueblo that numerous news articles were published decrying <br />the woeful eonditions. Division of Wildlife worked with DWR <br />to monitor the fishery through Pueblo and attempt to eome <br />up with some available supplies to keep the minimal flows <br />from going to zero through the area below the PueblD Board <br />of Water Works intake. There was eonsiderable eonfusion <br />over the eause of the low flows and the Division 2 Offiee <br />spent a great deal of time explaining the reasoning that <br />eaused the gate releases to be eurtailed. Ironieally the low <br />flows probably helped the Corps of Engineers have better <br />working eonditions on the ehannel improvements that are <br />being eonstrueted as part of the City of Pueblo's recreational <br />in-ehannel flow improvements. <br /> <br />Mar-OS <br /> <br />~~ <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br /> <br />w <br />~ <br />> . <br />~ <br />o <br />z <br />-., <br />> <br />" <br />o <br />" <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />. <br />Jon.96 Jon.ql ..Ion8lI Jor>{I9 JonOO J;n.(l1 Jor><l! .-..ro .lIrI<lf ..1>01-05 <br />~,- <br /> <br />~ F4\ffi m ~ R.DN&r' IM.TER '!'EAR <br /> <br />;ro,rm <br /> <br />1l1lrm <br />;; <br />~1~lXX> <br />. <br />~14O,0Cl) <br />~13J,<XX) <br />~ <br />~ <br />w 100,OCO <br />> <br />~oo.rm <br />::> <br />~ ~oco <br />o <br /><<>,rm <br /> <br />a>,rm <br /> <br />o <br />0; <br /> <br /> <br />"" <br /> <br />""'" <br /> <br />"'" <br /> <br />..., <br /> <br />"" <br /> <br />","' <br /> <br />-&-\foEr(~ <br /> <br />-.-[R(~ <br /> <br />.....A'!3 <br /> <br />-><-- <br /> <br />~Al1VE~RS <br /> <br />l~.lXO <br /> <br /> <br />"."" <br /> <br />,.,"" <br /> <br />.. <br />~ 120,OCD <br />" <br />. <br />ai1OO,(OO <br />a <br />. <br />& 8O,lXXl <br />. <br />" <br />:JJ eo,lm <br />::> <br /> <br /><D,"" <br /> <br />"''''' <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />J:h1Mrin <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />.J%9.02I28Corterts <br /> <br />T_ <br />""'-"""'''''''''' <br /> <br />Tv.inlBkes <br /> <br />4 <br />