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<br />1941 <br /> <br />Arkansas River above Pueblo <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Station 07099400 (Arkansas River above Pueblo) is locared in rhe uppermost reach of the lower Arkansas <br /> <br />River Basin. 0.4 mi downstream from Pueblo Dam (fig. I). The quality ofwarer in this area of the river is important <br /> <br />from a drinking-water perspective because the river is the municipal water supply for the City of Pueblo and for the <br /> <br />St. Charles Mesa Water District. The diversion points for the Pueblo and St. Charles Mesa water supplies are located <br /> <br />about 4 and 8.5 mi. respectively. downstream from station 07099400. Discharge and specific-conductance data were <br /> <br />available at station 07099400 for the 29-year period 1966-94. <br /> <br />The median annual discharge at station 07099400 increased from abour 445,200 acre-ft in 1966-74 to about <br /> <br />518,400 acre-ft in 1975-94; the difference in the median annual discharge was not statistically significant (p=0.23). <br /> <br />Although there was no significant change in the median annual discharge, there were differences in the daily dis- <br /> <br />charge that were segregated by month in each of the two periods (fig. 9). Following the construction of Pueblo Res- <br /> <br />ervoir, the daily discharge increased significantly in March through July and in September and October (table 5). <br /> <br />.Most of the increases occurred during the growing season. when demands for irrigation water are largest. There were <br /> <br />significant decreases in discharge in January, February, November, and December (table 5). This basic pattern of <br /> <br />increased spring, summer, and fall discharge and decreased "inter discharge is largely anributable to the Winter <br /> <br />Water Storage Program. As previously discussed in the description of Pueblo Reservoir, rhe Winter Water Storage <br /> <br />Program allows irrigators to store water in Pueblo Reservoir from November 15 to March 15. This stored water is <br /> <br />typically released to the river [0 meet downstream irrigarion needs during the early spring and latter parts of the <br /> <br />growing season, when discharge is typically insufficient 10 meet irrigarion needs. The net effect of this operation <br /> <br />downsrream from Pueblo Reservoir is decreased discharge in November-February and increased discharge during <br /> <br />the early spring and late summer or autumn months. <br /> <br />~...~. <br />-~O~'... <br />~~~ ~~\S"C'~. <br />.. -~\.o\~\~~O~~ <br />?t\ ~~C\ - <br />d_,f6 <br />~ <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />21 <br />