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mental Impact Statement in May, in both Aspen and Pueblo, and representatives from Local Agencies and the general Public were afforded opportunities to testify regarding the Project. Observations were taken into consideratirJn by authors of the Statement. The Finsl Draft will be reviewed by appropriate Govern- mental Agencies early in 1975. o o t- OO 00 ~ Pueblo Dam WATER ALLOCATION Under the terms of its contract with the United States of America, the Southeastern Colorado Water COll!3erVancy District is the Official Legal Entity re- sponsiblc for the sale of Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water to all entities within the confines of the District. This requires that each ycar Officials from the Bureau of Reclamation and the State Engineer's Office, will determine the amount of snow run-off in the Fryingpan Drainage which will be available to the District under the Colorado River and Upper Colorado River Com- pacts, and Colorado State Water Laws. In the mean. time, the members of the Board notify all legal entities within the District that Project water will be available during the year~ and invite their requests for alloca- tions. More often than not the requests will be nearly double, and many times triple, the amount of water available. and it becomes the responsibility of the Board to "Equitably Allocate" the water, in order that maximum beneficial use might be obtained by as many entities as possible. The first Project water came through the Charles H. Boustead Tunnel on May 16, 1972, and the District purchased 20,000 acre-feet of Project water from the Bureau of Reclamation, including sume water stored in Turquoise Lake. In 1973 the District purchased 11,000 acre. feet, and in 1974, 18,600. Project waters are purchased annually from the United States Bureau 13 .... of Reclamation under an Interim Contract, and all monies paid are credited toward the over-all Repay- ment Contract between the District and the United States. In 1974 the District paid $183,207.00, repre. senting 2/10ths of a mill on the assessed valuation of the District in 1973, and $89,200.00 for 18,600 acre. feet of Project waters. These payments, in addition to those made in the previous years, impress Members of Congress with the fact that when the Project is completed, sizable sums of money will be paid to the United States Government, which can then be used for other essential Governmental activities. The fol- lowing chart iHustrates the amounts of water re- quested_ allocated and delivered, during the past two years. . ,~. , (Chart on Page 15) PROPOSED WINTER STORAGE PROGRAM A major feature of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Proj- ect is the Proposed Storage of Winter flows of the Arkansas River in Pueblo Reservoir, thus making those waters available to the Irrigation Companies during the growing season. This concept was conceived by the Irrigation Companies during the planning period of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, and it was heavily emphasized in testimony before the Committees of Congress prior to its authorization in 1962. Many in- dividual Members of Congress felt the better manage- ment of native waters was as important as the impor- tation of Project waters. This feature of the Project also provided an additional "multiple use", which gained support for the over-all Project. In January, February and March of 1974, Offi. cials from the Bureau of Reclamation and the District. held regular meetings .with representatives from th~ Irrigation and Canal Companies below Pueblo Dam, to discus!:; a Cooperative Program whereby waters nor- mally diverted during the months of November, De- cember. January, February and March, would be stored in Pueblo Reservoir for more beneficial use during the irrigation season. No meetings were held during the summer months while the irrigators were busy in their fields, but at the same time, all parties were aware of the water which could have been available to them during those hot dry months, had the Winter Storage Program been in effect the previous winter. Regular monthly meetings were resumed in September, when Division Engineer Robert Jesse~ and Hydro- grapher James Kasic, introduced an entirely new and exciting concept for Proposed Winter Storage Pro- gram. Mr. James Taylor, of the Pueblo Office of the U. S. Geological Survey, also worked with the entities in developing Computer Studies to evaluate various al- ternatives. The Program suggested by Engineer Jesse has worked very successfully on the South Platte River, in Colorado I for many years, and also in many other irrigation areas. It is hoped a Cooperative Agreement I I 14 -.-;....-.-.. .