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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />March 20-21,2000, Agenda Item 24.c., <br />Arkansas River Basin Issues, page 5 <br /> <br />Pueblo Reservoir Issues Related to John Martin Reservoir Ooerations <br /> <br />The native Arkansas River (East Slope) storage rights of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project <br />are junior in priority to the Arkansas River Compact, and can only be exercised at Pueblo <br />Reservoir when JMR is expected to spill (anticipatory storage) or actually spilling. When <br />upstream junior diversions are allowed, the Operations Secretary has made an upward <br />adjustment to JMR inflow in an effort to produce the same contents of JMR conservation <br />storage as would have occurred prior to adoption of the 1980 Plan. The effect of this ;s <br />to force accounts to spill at the rate they would have without upstream storage and most <br />recently this has impacted Kansas' storage account more than the accounts of the <br />Colorado District 67 ditches. Thus, the spill accounting at JMR and determinations by the <br />Division 2 Engineer as to when JMR is spilling potentially impact Pueblo Reservoir. As <br />stated earlier, Colorado's position is that the ability of Colorado water users to divert <br />pursuant to water rights junior to 1949 is not so much an accounting determination under <br />the 1980 Operating Plan for JMR as it is an unresolved allocation question under the <br />Compact. So far, during discussions with the Operating Committee Kansas has not <br />acknowledged this position. Recent storage restrictions at Pueblo due to safety of dams <br />issues have added some complexity to the explanations of Pueblo operations given to <br />Kansas. Colorado has made a concerted effort to provide timely data and information to <br />Kansas to enable them to see how operations are conducted. In addition, we have kept <br />the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District informed about discussions with <br />ARCA. <br /> <br />Trinidad Project Issues Related to Arkansas River Comoact Administration <br /> <br />Kansas has long standing concerns about the operation of the Trinidad Project and <br />Trinidad Reservoir, but these concerns are only minimally related to JMR operations, and <br />have not been raised during discussions with the Operations Committee. Junior storage <br />rights at Trinidad can come into priority when JMR is spilling, so the discussion about <br />storage at Pueblo Reservoir above can also apply to Trinidad. <br /> <br />Kansas' main concerns about the Trinidad Project involve enforcement and modification <br />of the project Operating Principles which were formulated to protect downstream water <br />users in both states from increased depletions. The Board has been previously briefed on <br />the ongoing discussions with Kansas, the US'Bureau of Reclamation, the Purgatoire River <br />Water Conservancy District, and downstream Colorado water users about the Operating <br />Principles. Reclamation and the Purgatoire District, with assistance from the Board and <br />the State Engineer, are beginning a process to develop information on irrigated acreage <br />and ditch efficiencies in the project area that should help address Kansas' concerns. <br /> <br />cc: <br /> <br />David Robbins, Dennis Montgomery, Wendy Weiss, Steve Witte, Steve <br />Arveschoug, Jeris Danielson <br /> <br />"'\~~Mllillk'lJw-..l!k.It.L\B("'WI.>"F.M"""1<CI WT'lJ <br />