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<br />. <br /> <br />3068 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />of Colorado Springs and Pueblo have acquired decreed water <br />rights on the tributaries of the Colorado River, and have <br />constructed facilities to collect and divert this water <br />from the source to the Arkansas valley. The potential for <br />developing new water sources in the Arkansas Valley itself <br />is practically nonexistent. Hence, many of the growing <br />cities of the area are seeking to purchase early Arkansas <br />River decreed water rights and/or acquire stock in irriga- <br />tion companies to augment their present water supplies. <br /> <br />The Arkansas River and Fountain Creek alluviums are the <br />major aquifers tapped for municipal and industrial water <br />supplies. Shallow wells penetrating these aquifers have <br />rated capacities up to 3,000 gallons-per-minute (g.p.m.l <br />and produce large quantities of relatively poor quality <br />water for municipal and industrial use. Various water <br />users within the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy <br />District obtain water supplies from deep wells. The wells <br />range from 400 to 1,500 feet in depth and have rated capa- <br />cities up to 85 g.p.m. The first wells drilled into the <br />Dakota and Cheyenne sandstones were artesian, but the arte- <br />_sian head is steadily declining. Many wells have stopped <br />~ . . <br />f:ow~ng and are presently be~ng pumped. Therefore, the <br />Dakota and Cheyenne sandstone aquifers are unsuitable for <br />obtaining substantial quantities of additional municipal <br />and industrial water supplies. <br /> <br />The surface water in the Arkansas River and its tributaries <br />upstream from Canon City is generally of excellent chemical <br />quality. Only iron and manganese contents are above maximum <br />allowable limits as given by the Colorado State Department <br />of Public Health. These elements and properties are the <br />result of abandoned mining operations in the vicinity of <br />the City of Leadville. The total hardness of the river <br />water upstream from Canon City ranges from 110 to 275 parts- <br />per-million (p.p.m.l and has a range of 60-350 pp.m. dis- <br />solved solids concentration. As the river approaches Pueblo. <br />the dissolved solids concentration increases to 500-600 p.p.D. <br />and the hardness of the water also increases to more than <br />200 p.p.m. <br /> <br />The chemical quality of the water in the Arkansas River <br />becomes progressively worse downstream from Pueblo. The <br />Chief constituents found in excessive concentration are <br />Iron, Sulfate, Sodium and Fluoride. Concentrations of <br />some chemical constituents are greater than those recommended <br /> <br />32 <br />