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<br />1716
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<br />FRYINGPAN-ARKANSAS PROJEC1', COLORADO
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<br />water (including the 2,000 acre-feet of Ww.tz ditch water) and an
<br />ultimate addit,ional need of 15,000 aere-feet by the year 2000. The
<br />city has also expressed interesi in obtaining treatment of its present
<br />supply of 21 ,000 acre-feet. '
<br />29. Canon City ano Rocky Ford obtain municipal water from the
<br />Arkansas River. Canon Citv has not, requested project water.
<br />30. The towns of Manzanola, Rockv Ford, La .Junta, Las Animas,
<br />and Lamar, and the off-stream towns of Crowley, Wiley, and Eads
<br />have requested treated Illunicipal water from thc project to replace
<br />entirely their present supplies. Their immediate needs are abollt
<br />8,000 acre-feet.
<br />31. Flood control.-Few damaging floods of recO/.d have occurred in
<br />the diversion area aud in the Arkansas Valley down to Cunon CIty.
<br />From there eastward, however, dmnnging floods increase in frequency
<br />and volume t,o the mouth of the Purgatoire RiYer. The largest flood
<br />of record in the project area occurred in .June 1921. Intense rains
<br />caused flows at Puchlo cstimofed at 103.000 second-feet. Down-
<br />stream tributnries cOlltrihutrd to the Hood until the peak of 200!000
<br />second-feet WtLS rCRehed nt Ln .Tutltu. Tlw flood kill,,'d at. ICll.!'it 78-
<br />persons; propert,y t.hunages cx('ecded $19,000,000, inclut..ling $10,000,-
<br />000 in Pueblo.
<br />32. As a result of that disastrous flood, a bOI'1'ie,' dam across the
<br />Arkansas River, 6 miles west of Pucblo, and an improved flood way
<br />channel through the city were completed in 1926. ,Another flood-
<br />control structure, the John !\fartin Reservoir, locntr.d 011 the Arkansas
<br />River near Lamar, Colo., was completed in 1949 by the Corps of
<br />Engineers. A multiple-purpose project, 281,000 acre-feet of its
<br />701,000 acre-foot capacity are allocated to flood control.
<br />33. A flood danger still exists from Pueblo downstream to the John
<br />J\Jartin Reservoir. The Corps of Engineers has estimated that the
<br />annual damages along that reach of the ri,er a"erage $890,000. The
<br />initial development could eliminate about 66 percent of that probable
<br />damage.
<br />34. Associated ll~eds.-Sediment control, stream pollution abate-
<br />ment, enhancement of the environment for fish and wildlife, and
<br />provision for recreation are other nee(ls of the project areo. associated
<br />with water development. Industrial expansion, conservation of
<br />forest and range bnds, and stabilization of the entire economy by
<br />balanced diversification of interest are recognized as long-range
<br />objectives. The initial deyelopment could immediately umeliorate
<br />some of the problems stemming from those needs. Resolution of the
<br />long-ra.nge objecti\'cs will require coordinated and unselfish coopel'a-
<br />~ tion by all cit.izensJ agencies, and entities concerned.
<br />~> 35. !\-Ient.ion ht18 aU.l'adv ueen made of the acute sedimrntatioll
<br />lirbblem affec:ting irrigutiOJ; in the lI1ain ArkanRas Valley. At Pueblo
<br />the river annually transpOl.t3 about 944 acre-feet of sediment. Ap-
<br />proximately 42 percent. of that sediment is deposited in reservoirs,
<br />canals, and lat,erals; about 38 percent uecomes undesired deposit.ion
<br />on t.he i..l'rign.t.ed lanth~. Aggl'nda.tion of the river channel. has made
<br />some il'rig-ation' diversion struetures inoperative" other diversion
<br />structures- have:tlleCCSsarily bnen raised. Remov~d sediment now
<br />lines some canal banks and further disposal has become very ex-
<br />pensive, Canal sand tmps have. become inoperative. The ouly
<br />apparent un~c~hate solu~lOn IS prOVISIOn of reserVOIl" space specifically
<br />for the deposlt-lOn of sedllDent.
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