BOARD00803

• Board Meeting Date: 11/19/2001
• Description: WSP Section - Arkansas River Basin Issues - 2001 Arkansas River Compact Administration Directions
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
n13 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

STATE OF COLORADO

Q

MEMORANDUM

BiltOwens
Governor
Greg E. Walcher
Executjve Director

TO:
FROM:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members
Steve Miller
Water Supply Protection Section
May 16, 2000
Agenda Item 14.b., November 19-20, 2001, Board Meeting-
Arkansas River Basin Issues.
2001 Arkansas River Comp<lct Administration Directions

Rod Kuharich
eWeB Director
Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

DATE:
SUBJECT:

Introduction:
This agenda item is to provide the Board with information on issues that are expected to arise at
the 2001 Annual Meeting of the Arkansas River Compact Administration ("ARCA") in Lamar,
Colorado on December 11, 2001. The Board may wish to provide the Director with direction on
certain of these issues. Colorado's ARCA representatives, officials and advisors will be meeting
in Pueblo on November 26, 2001 to further discuss these issues, and formulate the positions
Colorado will take. Due to the ongoing litigation with Kansas and the current efforts to resolve
portions of the litigation through mediation (ref@rtoagendaitem6.b.)Colorado's positions atARCA
must be developed in careful consultation with the State's legal counsel and the State Engineer.

Personnel Issues:
In August Governor Owens re-appointed Colorado's two citizen representatives to ARCA for
additional four year terms. Jim Rogers from Lamar and Tom Pointon from Las Animas will continue
to represent Colorado, along with the CWCB Director. Also in August, the Federal Representative
to ARCA, Aurelio Sisneros of Pueblo submitted his resignation from ARCA effective October 31,
2001 to President Bush, Mr. Sisneros had served as the Chairman of ARCA, and while the federal
representative has no vote, he did keep the states focused on issues and sought to identify areas
where consensus seemed possible. It is unlikely that a successor will be appointed by the
President prior to this Annual Meeting. Under ARCA's bylaws the Vice Chairman, David Pope from
Topeka, Kansas is thus expected to chair the Annual Meeting.

Action Items:
1, Trinidad Proiect Operatinq Principles. Soth ARCA and the State of Kansas, as well as the
US Bureau of Reclamation, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Purgatoire River Water
Conservancy District (PRWCD), are signatories to the Operating Principles which set the
parameters under which the project may store and divert water consistent with the Arkansas
River Compact. Several changes to the principles were proposed during a ten year review of
operations completed in 1996. To date none of these changes have been approved by ARCA
or Kansas. The proposed changes would modify the rate at which stockwater is released from
storage during the winter period, clarify the quantification, limitation and identification of
irrigable acres allowed to receive project water, and require procedures for allocating water
between the project ditches that take into consideration delivery system efficiencies. All of the
changes are designed to make the project operate more efficiently and better utilize the
available water supply, The stockwater amendment is of particular benefit to the PRWCD, the
other two changes will benefit District and Colorado water users, but mainiy provide additional
assurances to Kansas that the project will not cause material depletions to the usable Stateline

Flood Protection. Water Project Planning and Financing. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation Planning