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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />721 Centennial Building <br />131 3 Sherman Street <br />Denver, Colorado B0203 <br />Phone: (303) 866-3441 <br />FAX: (303) 866-4474 <br /> <br />STATE OF COLORI\DO <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />Roy Romer <br />Governor <br />James S. Lochhead <br />Executive Director, DNR <br />DariesC.Ule, P.E. <br />Director, eWeB <br />Peter H. Evans <br />Acting Director, ewes <br /> <br />TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board Members <br /> <br />FROM: Mark Matulik <br /> <br />DATE: July 2,1998 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Agenda Item 23c, July 13-14, 1998 Board Meeting- <br />Arkansas River Basin - Ground Water Investigation <br /> <br />INFORMATION <br /> <br />The Arkansas River Multi-Objective Channel Restoration Study was initiated by the <br />CWCB in July 1996, Public meetings were held in Lamar and Rocky Ford in August <br />1996. The intent of the meetings was to solidt public input about channel conveyance <br />problems in the lower Arkansas valley. During these meetings, it became apparent that <br />groundwater problems have continued to intensify near La Junta. Though not a channel <br />conveyance problem, this issue was cited by some meeting attendees as an emerging <br />problem that must somehow be tied to the river. As a result they requested that the rising <br />groundwater be included in the CWCB's study initiative. <br /> <br />The problem area was identified as beginning at the Fort Lyon Canal headgate on the <br />north side of the Arkansas River and extending downstream to the vicinity of Bent's Old <br />Fort (approximately ten miles). Although groundwater problems had been experienced in <br />the past in the area immediately north of La Junta, agricultural producers to the east had <br />not encountered significant problems prior to 1996. <br /> <br />At this time, the CWCB's study contractor for the channel restoration study, the <br />Albuquerque Corps of Engineers, said they would welcome any scientific analysis which <br />addressed the groundwater issues since it was immediately adjacent to the study area <br />mutually agreed upon by the CWCB and Corps. According to the Corps, such <br />information could prove valuable in understanding how groundwater influences flow and <br />channel conveyance in the Arkansas River. <br />