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<br />- <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />To date, LAWMA and its members have expended more than $30,000 for engineering <br />and legal evaluation of water rights, for preparation of the well data base and mapping, and <br />for well testing. It anticipates that its members will expend more than $30,000 in 1994 to <br />complete the initial testing of their wells. <br /> <br />NEED FOR PROJECT <br /> <br />LAWMA is concerned that well owners in the Arkansas River basin will be faced with <br />more stringent regulations go..verning the use of ground water. It also is concerned that more <br />stringent regulations will result in the full or partial curtailment of wells and that such <br />curtailment will result in a significant economic hardship to its members, to the local area, and <br />to this part of the state. LAWMA is interested, therefore, in developing a ,project to replace <br />depletions to Colorado water rights and to Kansas if necessary under the eventual ruling of <br />the U.S. Supreme Court in Kansas v. Colorado. <br /> <br />At the present time, LAWMA's members operate 375 irrigation wells, 26 commercial <br />wells, and 60 municipal wells, The 375 irrigation wells represent about 65 percent of the <br />total irrigation wells in the water. district. These wells provided supplemental or full water <br />supplies for about 50,000 acres. They involve a total decreed capacity of more than 1,140 <br />cfs or about 70 percent of the total decreed irrigation capacity in the water district, By <br />proportioning based on decreed capacity, these wells provided an average of about 70,000 <br />acre-feet annually during 1976-85 or about 18 percent of the total irrigation water supply. <br />During 1977, LAWMA's wells provided a larger part of the total water supply. As mentioned <br />previously, the City of Lamar and the Towns of Holly, Eads, Hugo, and Kit Carson are <br />LAWMA members. Lamar is the largest city in the water district and Holly, Eads, Hugo, and <br />Kit Carson are major towns. <br /> <br />LAWMA's need is for a project to allow its members to continue to have the full usage <br />of their wells for their various irrigation, municipal, and commercial purposes. The project will <br />provide replacement water to Colorado water rights on the Arkansas River and its tributaries, <br />and to Kansas if required by the 'U.S. Supreme Court in Kansas v. Colorado. The project will <br />involve .1 )'thedevelopment,of:proceduresto"determine the amounts of pumping by its <br />members and the resulting stream'depletion, 2) .the acquisition of water and water rights, <br />3) the development and acquisition of physical facilities, and 4) the preparation.of a detailed <br />operating and management plan. <br /> <br />LAWMA's membership has been increasing steadily since its formation. It anticipates <br />a significant increase in membership with the advent of more stringent well regulation, and <br />contemplates that eventually it will cover all active irrigation, municipal, and commercial wells <br />in Water District 67. .. <br /> <br />PLAN OF STUDY <br /> <br />The study involved in this request is really more than just a feasibility study. It <br />involves the development of a detailed plan to make replacements and will thereby establish <br />the feasibility of the project. LAWMA believes that the detailed replacement plan can be <br />prepared over a period of approximately 12 months. The full implementation of the plan may <br />require several years depending on the level of well regulation imposed by the State Engineer, <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />..... -- - <br />