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<br />aC1931 <br /> <br />demands. A higher type economy evolved with certain assurance of a <br /> <br /> <br />better water supply. <br /> <br /> <br />The first major reservoir development in the Arkansas Valley <br /> <br /> <br />began in 1876 and followed the same general pattern as that of the <br /> <br />ditches - first through individual effort, then through corporative <br /> <br /> <br />effort, and lastly through that of the semi- and quasi-municipal <br /> <br />district. <br /> <br /> <br />Man's utilization of the water resources in the basin did not <br /> <br /> <br />cease with the development of facilities to store the surplus surface <br /> <br /> <br />runoff from the stream system. With the advent of cheap power and <br /> <br /> <br />technological advances, it became possible to economically divert water <br /> <br /> <br />from the alluvial aquifer by pumping or by other means. \n areas <br /> <br /> <br />where the aquifer had sufficient permeability and saturated thickness, <br /> <br /> <br />water could be obtained to supplement natural runoff and smooth out <br /> <br /> <br />the cycl ic variation in supply. <br /> <br /> <br />Concurrent with the development of the ground water resources, <br /> <br /> <br />the Federal Government was planning the Gunnison-Arkansas Project, <br /> <br /> <br />which has since been reduced in size to the authorized and presently <br /> <br /> <br />being constructed Frying Pan-Arkansas Project. This project envisions <br /> <br />the collection of approximately 72,000 acre-feet of water from the <br /> <br /> <br />Frying Pan and other tributaries of the Roaring Fork River in western <br /> <br /> <br />Colorado and its transport via tunnels to the Arkansas River in <br /> <br /> <br />eastern Colorado. The project plans provide for the enlargement of <br /> <br />Twin lakes and Sugar loaf Reservoirs and the construction of Pueblo <br /> <br /> <br />Reservoir. These facilities should provide almost complete control <br /> <br /> <br />of all waters originating upstream from the City of Pueblo. A map of <br /> <br /> <br />major irrigation systems from Canon City to the Kansas boundary is <br /> <br /> <br />shown On Figure 3. <br /> <br />BASIN WATER RESOURCES <br /> <br />Surface Water <br /> <br />The basic water supply for the Arkansas River Basin is derived <br /> <br /> <br />from snowmelt in the basin above Canon City. This is supplemented by <br /> <br /> <br />erratic flows from tributaries below Canon City which contribute sub- <br /> <br /> <br />stantial amounts of water during periods of intense rain storms. As <br /> <br /> <br />irrigation progressed, quantities of appl ied irrigation water and <br /> <br />- 8 - <br />