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<br />~ <br />,J. <br />~-..- - <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />.. <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />Deparunent of Natural Resources <br /> <br />o <br /> <br />721 State Centennial Building <br />1313 Shennan Suw <br />!)enYa. CoI00>d<> 80203 <br />Phone (303) 866-3441 <br />PAX (303) 866-4474 <br /> <br />Roy Romer <br />Governor <br /> <br />Ken Salazar <br />Executiye Di=<oc, DNR <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />Daries c.. Lilt. P.E. <br />Di"""",. CWCB <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Members, CWCB <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />Daries C. Lile <br /> <br />DATE: <br /> <br />January 11, 1994 <br /> <br />SUBJECf: <br /> <br />AGENDA ITEM l2a, JANUARY 19-20, 1994 BOARD MEETING -- <br />ARKANSAS RIVER COMPACf ADMINISTRATION, PURGATOIRE <br />RIVER TRANSIT LOSS SlUDY. <br /> <br />Backfiound <br /> <br />The Purgatoire River originates west of the City of Trinidad and enters the <br />Arkansas River near the town of Las Animas, just above John Martin ReseIVoir (JMR). The <br />flows of the Purgatoire are expressly subject to the terms of the Arkansas River Compact. <br />The principal irrigation use of the Purgatoire River occurs in the Trinidad area, under <br />procedures of the Purgatoire River Water Conservancy District (PRWCD). In addition, <br />Trinidad Lake State Park provides recreation, fish and wildlife uses of the river. Water <br />demands far exceed available supply and both irrigators and Division of Parks have had a <br />difficult time meeting even minimal needs. <br /> <br />The Trinidad Project, sponsored by PRWCD, was designed to better regulate <br />the limited supply of the Purgatoire River. Since the project was completed in 1977 it has <br />been obvious that water from outside the Purgatoire River basin provides a potentially <br />feasible way of augmenting the project's supply, both for irrigation and recreation. The <br />Arkansas mainstem below Pueblo is also severely overappropriated, however several <br />transmountain diverters (Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and SECWCD) do, on. occasion have <br />excess water available, Transmountain water is expressly excluded from the jurisdiction of <br />the Arkansas River Compact, and thus is an attractive augmentation supply from a legal <br />standpoint. Unfortunately it is physically complex and challenging to move this excess <br />transmountain water to the Trinidad area. <br />