WSP03895

• File Number: 8131.400
• Description: Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 2
• Date: 3/21/1968
• Author: SEWCD
• Title: Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors - March 21 1968
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Board Memo

,.., .....
.--,
w
"'~
00
,c.,'l . ....

.-........ :

,'c:' ,'-'.
~ .:::-::"
.:-;t..:

;....

,

",."

", ",.,

. : ".' ~.:-' ,

RECORD OF PROCEEDING

I
1
I
1
, I

LAMAR REQUEST:

Attorney Beise stated the Lamar Officials had not taken any additional action on the
preparation of petitions for inclusion into the Districtl as they are still in the process
of circulating petitions for the creation of a hospital District.

DNISION ENGINEER'S REPORT:

I
1

President Nichols introduced Mr. Willia.m Smith, Deputy State Engineer, who stated
State Engineer Ralph Owens and others at the State level appreciate the cooperation
offered by the District in the conduct of water affairs in the Arkansas River Valley.
He said the Fryingpsn-ArkansaJ3 Project water will be a valuable aide to the Valley, but
will also impose some pl'oblems on the administration of the aiver. in that it will require
the accounting of native wate.r .as well as the imported water. Mr. Smith then introduced
Division Engineer, Rudy Styduhar; .who presented two charts which will serve as the
basis for a water accounting program on the River.

;1
>1
'I

The first chart is a tabulation of all ditch and major reservoir rights on the main stem
of the Arkansas. It is designed to show the relationship between the five Arkansas River
Water Districts, with respect to priority dates, and decreed amounts. Styduhar advis'ed
that this tabulation is nothing new, but is the first time that all of the priorities and
amounts have been placed on one sheet of paper. He noted that in District 11 there are
29 ditches with a total of 241. 15B cts; District 12 - 24 ditches, with a total of 736. 88 cfs;
District 14 - 18 ditches, with a total of 1,955. 15 cfs; District 17 - 9 ditches with a total
of 2, BOO. 82 cfs: and District 67 - 10 ditches with a total of 1, 62B. 54 cf., for a grand
total of 90 ditches and 7,362.548 cfs. He advised that some of these di1ches have more
than one right, which makes a total of 657 decrees, excluding reservoirs.

:1

.1
;1
'1
'I
1
(I

Styduhar then presented a preliminary draft of a water accounting program which he
hopes to perfect for the main stem of the Arkansas River, and ultimately the tributaries.
He advised he had developed this information in conjunction with me.mbers of the U. S.
Bureau of Reclamation staff, and suggested that once refined in final form, it could be .
the basis for a general water accounting program on the River.

'I
'I

I

Thomson suggested that this material, along with el<cerpts from the State Statutes on
Water Laws; an outline of Operating Procedure; a Tabular Map of the Arka.nsas River;
and other vital information be put on a simple printed piece, which could be distributed
throughout the Arkansas Valley to overcome many of the misunderstandings which now
exist. Styduhar said he felt thiB would serve a very useful purpose. Young suggested
that the Engineering Committee study the suggested water accounting program and other
data, in order that the final draft might be as complete .as possible. Smith observed
that the State Engineer's office wants to solve the water problem. and feels a great
deal of the criticism has been becallse of the lack of definite information or actual
ignorance of water laws. He felt that the availability of this material in printed form
would eliminate snme of the confusion and misunderstandings. Milenski urged the
State Engineer's office to evaluate the total decrees on record and isolate the Ilactive
decrees" from the "unused ~ecree811. He If&d it Is extremely difficult for stafr and
others to determine the actual decrees and amounts of water now being used in the State.
Milenski suggested that a form he developed to identify that if the decrees have not been
used within a specified period of time, the. owners should be required to identify why
th<:~y have not been used.

1
I
II
~ I
,
, I

'I
!,I
,
I
1
'I
I
1

i I
,

Nichols said that this might be taken care of under the research being done under Senate
Bill 407. Christy observed that care must be taken in clearing the books so an owner
of a decree is not injured unnecessarily. Heise reported that the water Committee of
the State Bat'" Associa.tion addressed itself to the matter of tlabandonment" approximately
six years ago, and expl~ned the complexities of the decree system. Smith stated that

.'

-2-