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<br />1934 <br /> <br />?REUMINARY REPORT <br />(,~! iOJ1=CT T.O R.r-\ItC"-_. <br />. .._ r..J ....... .~ _: ;',_._ ." <br /> <br />John Martin Reservoir <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />John Martin Reservoir is a 608,200 acre-ft mainstem reservoir located 58 mi upstream from the Colorado- <br /> <br />Kansas State line (fig. I). The reservoir is used for flood control, inigation-water storage, and recreation. Storage <br /> <br />of irrigation water in John Martin Reservoir is by agreement between the States of Colorado and Kansas, under <br /> <br />the tenns of the Arkansas River Compact. The Arkansas River Compact is an agreement between Colorado and <br /> <br />Kansas, signed in 1948, which insures both states will receive their percentage share of Arkansas River flows. <br /> <br />The Compact agreemem dictated a wimer and a summer storage period. During the winter storage period of <br /> <br />November I to March 3 I, all inflow to the reservoir was required to be stored, with the exception that as much as <br /> <br />100 f2/s could be requested by Colorado water users downstream of the dam. During the remainder of the year. <br /> <br />river flow was stored, although Colorado could demand the release of as much as 500 ft3/s of water entering the <br /> <br />reservoir and Kansas could demand releases of that part of the inflow between 500 and 750 ft3/s. Provisions were <br /> <br />made for the rate of release of stored water. without reference \0 the volume of stored water assigned to each <br /> <br />. State. To assure that each State received their share of stored water, release demands had to be made concurremly. <br /> <br />Although the Ark3l1sas River Compact was developed to assure that Colorado and Kansas inigators received <br /> <br />their legal shares of Arkansas River water, the plan had several problems and was generally unsatisfactory to both <br /> <br />States. Following the winter storage season. reservoir storage was typically drawn down to empty or nearly empty <br /> <br />very early in the inigarion season. often by the middle of April. Because of the unsatisfactory nature of this oper- <br /> <br />ation, a resolution was adopted by the Arkansas River Compact Administration in 1980. This resolution is Com- <br /> <br />monly referred to as the 1980 Operating Plan (Arkansas River Compact Administration, 1980). Under the new <br /> <br />plan, any water not immediately called for and released to downstream irrigators. is stored in separate storage <br /> <br />accoums for the States of Colorado and Kansas. The individual States can call for the release of their stored water <br /> <br />independemly of one another. Two other recem changes have been made in the operation of John Martin Reser- <br /> <br />voir that affect reservoir storage and discharge downstream from John Martin Reservoir. A 10.000 acre-ft penna- <br /> <br />nenr recreation pool was established in 1976, and three irrigation canals have been allowed to store their approved <br /> <br />. WWSP Water in John Nlartin Reservoir. Thirty-five percent of the winter water that the three canal companies <br /> <br />14 <br />