Laserfiche WebLink
<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />1704 <br />I. Introduction <br /> <br />Article VI of the Operating Principles for Trinidad Dam and Reservoir Project (project) <br /> <br />provide that the operating principles are subject to review and amendment once a year at the <br /> <br />request of any of the signatory parties; provided, that one review shall be accomplished within the <br /> <br />first 10 years of completion of Trinidad Dam and at least once every 10 years thereafter. The <br /> <br />stated objective of the reviews is to obtain optimum beneficial use of the water supply as <br /> <br />conditions change, experience is gained and more technical data become available. In addition to <br /> <br />these provisions Condition No.4 of the State of Kansas' five conditions for approval of the <br /> <br />Operating principles requires that the operating principles be reviewed five years after beginning' <br /> <br />operation of the Project, and once each 10 years thereafter. The stated objective of this review is <br /> <br />to determine the effect ,if any, operation of the Project has had on other Colorado and Kansas <br /> <br />water users. <br /> <br />Construction of Trinidad Dam and Reservoir was completed and available for initial <br /> <br />storage on January 1, 1977. However, litigation concerning water rights for storage of water in <br /> <br />the reservoir delayed substantial storage of water until March 5, 1979. The Project has been in <br /> <br />continuous operation since 1979 with irrigation of all Project lands beginning in 1985. <br /> <br />Kansas first became concerned about the operation of Trinidad Reservoir in 1979-80 and <br /> <br />called a special meeting of the Arkansas River Compact Administration (AReA) held June 30, <br /> <br />1980 to discuss these concerns. Kansas raised additional concerns over the operation of the <br /> <br />Project in 1981 and 1982 at a meeting of the ARCA on March 25, 1983. Finally, at its December <br /> <br />11, 1984 annual meeting, the ARCA passed a resolution requesting the Bureau of Reclamation <br /> <br />(Reclamation) to initiate a review of the operating principles in accordance with Kansas' <br /> <br />1 <br />