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<br />ARKANSAS RIVER FROM JOHN MARTIN DAM TO <br />THE COLORADO-KANSAS STATE LINE: <br />CHANNEL CAPACITY AND RIPARIAN HABITAT PLANNING STUDY <br /> <br />1. INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />The channel capacity of the Arkansas River below John Martin Dam has decreased <br />significantly since the construction of the dam. When the dam was completed in 1948, the <br />channel capacity was estimated to be 15,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). By 1965, channel <br />capacity had decreased to about 3,000 cfs due to encroachment on the floodway by <br />development and vegetation (USACE 1983). During spring 1995 flood control releases, it was <br />reported that the channel was not able to convey the release of 3,000 cfs through Coolidge, <br />Kansas, without causing backwater effects, including a high water table and subsurface damage <br />to crops in many areas of the flood plain. <br /> <br />In a December 1, 1995, letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District <br />(Corps), the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) formally requested Section 22 <br />planning assistance for restoring hydraulic capacity and riverinelriparian ecosystem values in <br />the Arkansas River below John Martin Dam. The Corps-CWCB agreement (50/50 cost share) <br />was signed in August 1996. <br /> <br />1.1 STUDY AUTHORITY <br /> <br />This channel capacity and riparian habitat planning study was performed under authority <br />of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District, Planning Assistance to States <br />Program. The program's authority stems from Section 22 of the Water Resources Development <br />Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-251), as amended. Section 22 authorizes the Secretary of the <br />Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to assist the states in the preparation of <br />comprehensive plans for the development, utilization and conservation of water and related <br />land resources of drainage basins, watersheds, or ecosystems. Section 22 studies are <br />undertaken for planning, not design and construction, purposes. <br /> <br />1.2 STUDY PURPOSE <br /> <br />The study's purpose is to develop and evaluate long-term maintenance plans which, when <br />implemented, can improve channel capacity for flood flows and restore riverine and riparian <br />habitat along the Arkansas River below Jo1m Martin Dam. Investigation of changes to the <br />current reservoir operation plan was not a study objective. <br /> <br />1.3 STUDY REACH AND TYPICAL PROBLEM AREAS <br /> <br />The Arkansas River study reach extends from John Martin Dam 58 river-miles <br />downstream to the Colorado-Kansas state line. The CWCB and Corps coordinated with local <br />and state interests to identify five specific problem areas to investigate. Five problem areas, <br /> <br />1 <br />