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<br />Didn't I see somebody with a hand up in the back? (No response) <br /> <br /> <br />George, thank you very much. We appreciate it. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />We will go to agenda item number two, review of the status of John <br />Martin Reservoir permanent pool. Larry. <br /> <br />MR. SPARKS: Mr. Chairman, this will be a very brief review of this <br />problem. In view of the fact that we are still actively pursuing the <br />establishment of a permanent pool at John Martin Reservoir and we have <br />just completed some meetings with Kansas last week on it. I thought it <br />would be appropriate to discuss it very briefly here. <br /> <br />The Board will recall that for almost twenty years, the State of Colo- <br />rado has been trying to establish a permanent pool in John Martin <br />Reservoir in order to: one, enhance recreational opportunities in the <br />area; and two, to increase the wildlife habitat - fish and wildlife <br />habitat - in that part of the state. <br /> <br />The John Martin Reservoir was built in the days before any thought was <br />given to recreational, fish and wildlife facilities as part of federal <br />proj~cts. It was necessary in 1965 to get an amendment to the act, <br />which permitted the State of Colorado to establish a permanent pool in <br />the reservoir. The act provides that the flood control pool can be <br />invaded not to exceed ten thousand acre-feet. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />There is a conservation pool in the John Martin Reservoir, which is <br />allocated.between Colorado and Kansas in accordance with the Arkansas <br />River Compact. That pool is not violated in any sense, the conservation <br />pool, by the permanent pool that we have been talking about. What the <br />Congress did was give us authority to invade the flood control pool to <br />the extent of ten thousand feet. The reason for this approval, to a large <br />extent, was predicated upon the eventual completion of Pueblo Reservoir <br />and Trinidad Reservoir, which will take a lot of flood control pressure <br />off of John Martin Reservoir. <br /> <br />The act provides that this permanent pool cannot be established except <br />through the consent ,of the Arkansas River Compact Administration, the <br />Chief of Engineers of the United States Army, the Colorado State Engi- <br />neer, and the Colorado Water Conservation Board. <br /> <br />The state legislature has appropriated approximately a million dollars <br />to date to purchase water rights sufficient to maintain the permanent <br />pool. Water rights have been purchased and litigation is now in progress <br />to change these water rights to the permanent pool. The water rights <br />that were puchased were shares of stock in the Catlin Ditch Company. <br />The state has filed an action in the Water Court requesting that there <br />be a change in use of that water, and that it be stored in John Martin <br />Reservoir. <br /> <br />The Division of Wildlife also purchased a reservoir on Muddy Creek, <br />which is a tributary of Rule Creek which discharges directly into John <br />Martin Reservoir. The Division of Wildlife obtained a change in place <br />of storage of that right, upon certain rather stringent conditions <br /> <br />-11- <br />