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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Agenda Item H.b and c. <br />Marcb 29-30, 1999 Board Meeting <br />Page 3 of4 <br /> <br />direct flow rights can occur without injury. Board staff is encouraging efforts by Reclamation <br />to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. <br /> <br />CURRENT ISSUES AT PUEBLO RESERVOIR <br /> <br />While there are several ongoing issues at Pueblo Reservoir, such as the safety of dams repairs and <br />the interest in potential enlargement to meet new needs in the Southeastern Colorado Water <br />Conservancy District ("SECWCD") service area, only one directly involves the ARCA. That issue <br />relates to when the East-slope, junior water rights of Pueblo Reservoir are deemed to be in priority. <br />While the most reliable source of water for Pueblo Reservoir is transmountain water from the <br />Roaring Fork Basin, Pueblo Reservoir does have storage rights for native flows of the Arkansas <br />Basin, but these rights are junior to John Martin Reservoir and the Arkansas River Compact. The <br />SECWCD is obligated to and strives to maximize its use of its East-slope storage rights, but Kansas <br />is currently objecting to the State Engineers determination of when these rights are in priority. <br /> <br />Several times in the last 4 years John Martin Reservoir has physically spilled water after its <br />conservation capacity was completely full, resulting in large flows at the Stateline and downstream <br />past Garden City, Kansas. In these circumstances Pueblo Reservoir has been allowed to begin <br />storing Arkansas Basin water. Kansas has taken issue with both the storage of water in Pueblo <br />Reservoir and the accounting of water in John Martin Reservoir during these spill events. Much of <br />the difference in opinion appears to center around the meaning of certain provisions in the 1980 <br />Operating Plan for John Martin Reservoir, adopted by ARCA during the early 1980's. The Division <br />2 Engineer, and his counterpart in Kansas, the water commissioner in Garden City, are meeting to <br />better understand these different interpretations and determine the actual impacts of alternate <br />accounting methods, The CWCB staff is participating in these discussions to assist the Director in <br />his responsibilities as one of Colorado's representatives to ARCA. <br /> <br />RECOMMENDATION <br /> <br />There is no recommendation, these items are infonnational only. <br /> <br />cc: Thelma Lujan <br />Jeris Danielson <br />Julianne Woldridge <br /> <br />C:~DOCU~II8.DOC <br />_13.1_ <br />