C153808 Feasibility Study

• Contract/PO #: C153808
• Contractor Name: Arkansas Groundwater Users Association
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 14
• County: Pueblo
• Bill Number: ARA
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Arkansas River Groundwater Users Association (AGUA) is a Colorado non-profit corporation
that was formed on January 12, 1995 to protect and develop the surface and underground waters of
the State of Colorado in the Arkansas River Basin. AGUA's current membership is over 400 wells
with approximately 348 of those wells being active. AGUA's primary service area is the main stem
of the Arkansas River below Pueblo Reservoir and above John Martin Reservoir; however, AGUA
does have members located above Pueblo Reservoir on the Arkansas River as far west as Salida,
and a large number of members located in the Fountain Creek Basin.

AGUA's 1997 Arkansas River replacement plan included a total annual amount of pumping of
approximately 18,688 acre-feet. An amendment to the plan, submitted to the Division Engineer
September 8, 1997, included pumping totaling 19,452 acre-feet. The amended 1997 plan year
well head depletions due to 19,452 acre-feet of pumping were determined to be 9,034 acre-feet
with 8,933 acre-feet for from wells governed under The Amended Rules and Ref?ulations
Governiml the Diversion and Use of Tributarv Groundwater in the Arkansas River Basin Colorado,
and 101 acre-feet for substitute water supply plans administered by AGUA.

AGUA currently relies upon leases of excess water from various sources, and does not own any of
the water used for replacement of stream depletions. The 1997 sources of augmentation water
include: 1) 1,187 shares out of a total 3,333 shares of Excelsior Ditch waterthat have historically
yielded an average replacement credit of 813 acre-feet per year in the Arkansas River below Pueblo
Reservoir; 2) a minimum of 3,000 acre-feet up to a maximum of 6,000 acre-feet of transmountain or
other reusable water from the Board of Water Works of Pueblo, Colorado, available on the main
stem of the Arkansas River; 3) 1,000 acre-feet of reusable Fryingpan-Arkansas (Fry-Ark) Project
water available on the Arkansas River below Pueblo Reservoir and 375 acre-feet of reusable Fry-Ark
water available on Fountain Creek; and 4) 250 acre-feet of reusable water from the City of Colorado
Springs available on Fountain Creek.

AGUA's goal is to acquire 50 to 60 percent of its augmentation replacement water in the next 25 to
30 years. To begin meeting this goal, six different water right purchase alternatives were
investigated. The six alternatives include four water rights on Fountain Creek (177 shares of the
Fountain Mutual Irrigation Company, a three-quarter interest in the Lock Ditch, a three-quarter
interest in the Liston and Love Ditch, and a 100 percent interest in the Robinson Ditch) and two
water rights on the Arkansas River, one being 1,007 shares of the Excelsior Ditch which is located
approximately four miles east of Pueblo and the other being all or a portion of the Keesee Ditch
which is located approximately five miles downstream of John Martin Reservoir.

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