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<br />9 <br /> <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />21. ,Storms over the upper Arkansas Bas in can be of the genera I <br />type cnaracterized by low-intensity long-duration rainfal lover a iarge <br />area or the thunderstorm type wh i chi s usua II y small . in areal extent, <br />of shorT duration and high intensity. The former are most prevalent <br />during the autumn, winter, and spring seasons. Thunderstorms are most <br />active during July and August, although the largest and most destructive <br />flood of record occurred during June 1921 when the general storm that, <br />covered the State concentrated in a series of intense cloudbursts <br />extend i ng over an area of about 550 square mil es between Canon City <br />and Pueb 10. <br /> <br />\. <br /> <br />22. EXISTING WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT.- The first improvement <br />bui It by the Corps of Engineers, in the development of the water re- <br />sources of the Arkansas River Basin in Colorado, is the John Martin <br />Reservoir Project which was completed in 1948. It has the largest <br />storage capacity of any reservoir in the State. The dam spans the <br />Arkansas River about 58 mi les upstream from the Colo.-Kans. state line <br />and about 18 mi les below Las Animas. It is a concrete gravity over- <br />flow structure flanked by earth dikes. The reservoir extends 14 mi les <br />up the valley and covers about 17,875 acres at maximum pool level. The <br />total reservoir storage capacity at maximum pool elevation is 642,400 <br />acre-feet, based on estimated sediment depletion since the latest survey <br />in 1962. About 278,000 acre-feet of this capacity is reserved for flood <br />control and the remaining 364,400 acre-feet is uti lized tor storage of <br />irrigation water. The water stored in the reservoir for irrigation <br />purposes is released in accordance with the terms of the Arkansas River <br />Compact and at the request of the Administration. <br /> <br />23. The effectiveness of the John Martin Reservoir Project for <br />both flood control and conservation has been demonstrated many times. <br />Since it was placed in operation, eight floods have originated on the <br />watershed above the dam. The most recent and therefore the most vivid <br />in the minds of the Arkansas Val ley residents was the disastrous flood <br />of 1955 which inundated over 30,000 acres of land along the main stem <br />downstream from Pueblo before its rampaging waters were halted by John <br />Martin Dam. The damages caused by this flood exceeded $4 mi I lion but <br />this fugure would have been more than doubled if John Martin Dam had <br />not been in place to catch the entire flood volume of 260,000 acre-feet. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />24. The fiShing potential of John Martin Reservoir is limited <br />because a minimum pool to sustain fish life has not been provided and <br />the reservoir is emptied frequently to satisfy irrigation purposes. <br />Local sportsmen's organizations have been quite active in an effort to <br />secure a permanent pool and consideration is being given to the use of <br />10,000 acre-feet of the flood control storage for this purpose. How- <br />ever, this use wil I require Congressional approval and the acquisition <br />of necessary water rights by local interests for establ ishment and <br />maintenance of the fishery pool. <br /> <br />25. Our i ng construct i on of the project ,a sma I I permanent lake <br />was formed by the accumulation of ground water in a borrow pit just <br />