Laserfiche WebLink
<br />, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />ell) j --; c;(:, <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />tI <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />o <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />Department of Natural Resources <br /> <br />721 State Centennial Building <br />1313 Shennan Street <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone (303) 866-3441 <br />FAX (303) 866-4474 <br /> <br />Roy Romer <br />Governor <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />James S. Lochhead <br />Executive Director, DNR <br />Danes c. Lile, P.E. <br />Director, CWCB <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board Members <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />~~v1~f? <br /> <br />Bill Green <br /> <br />DATE: July 24, 1995 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Agenda Item 24a., July 24-25, 1995 Board Meeting--Water Project <br />Construction Loan Program - Arkansas River Augmentation Loan Account - <br />Lower Arkansas Water Management Association <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />In response to the rulings of the Special Master and the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision <br />in Kansas v. Colorado, the Lower Arkansas Water Management Association (LA WMA) has <br />prepared a feasibility study for an augmentation program for the lower Arkansas Basin in <br />Colorado. The objectives of the study are: (1) to formulate a detailed augmentation program <br />to replace depletions by LA WMA members well pumping both to Colorado surface rights and <br />"usable flow" at the Colorado-Kansas Stateline and (2) to assess the financial feasibility of the <br />augmentation program. <br /> <br />This year's Construction Fund bill created an Arkansas River Augmentation Loan Account <br />with initial funding of $1.5 million "for the purpose of making loans to organizations or <br />entities for the purchase of augmentation water or the rights to such water to replace out-of- <br />priority depletions to surface water rights and to prevent material depletions of usable stateline <br />flows in violation of the Arkansas River Compact." LA WMA is the first organization to <br />apply for financing under this program. <br /> <br />LA WMA is a non-profit corporation formed in 1973 for the primary purpose of obtaining <br />replacement water to allow its members to continue to utilize their post-compact wells. <br />LA WMA's members are concentrated mainly in the mainstem, lower Arkansas Basin below <br />John Martin Reservoir with a few members above John Martin and some located outside of <br />the mainstem area. The Association currently has 170 members who own or operate 551 <br />wells with a total pumpage of about 90,000 acre-feet per year. <br />