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<br />lIBNJAAAt)Js1.J.J1TON, JR, <br />Vi~;':Chdrman, Denver <br />CLARENCE E, BURR <br />Walden <br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />t <br /> <br />FELIX L, SPARKS <br />Director <br /> <br /> <br />QUINCY CORNELIUS <br />Hooper <br /> <br />R, M, GILDERSLEEVE <br />Deputy Director <br /> <br />L. S, Me CANDLESS <br />Craig .. <br />FRANK MILENSKI <br />La Junta <br />DAVID J. MILLER <br />Greeley <br />WILLIAM H,NELSON <br />Grand Junction <br />F, M. PETERSON <br />Delta <br /> <br />JOHN A. LOVE, Governor <br /> <br />L, R, KUIPER <br />Chief Engineer <br /> <br /> <br />Chairman <br /> <br />COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD <br /> <br />215 STATE SERVICES BUILDING <br />1525 SHERMAN STREET <br />DENVER 3. COLORADO <br /> <br />Telephone: <br />AComa 2-9911 <br />Extension 2333 <br /> <br /> <br />F, V, KROEGER <br />Durango <br /> <br />May 22, 1963 <br /> <br />M E ~ 0 RAN DUM <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Chairman, Pacific Southwest Inter-Agency Committee - <br />Phreatophyte Subcommittee. <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Progress Report for Fiscal Year 1963 - Colorado. <br /> <br />A "Study of Phreatophyte Growth in the Lower Arkansas <br />River Valley in Colorado" has recently been completed by the civil <br />Engineering Research section of Colorado State University. Authors <br />of the report are Morton W. Bittinger and Glen E. strin~7v, <br /> <br />The report estimates that approximately 15,000 acre-feet <br />of water is now consumed annually by phreatophytes on the Arkansas <br />River between La Junta and Las Animas (approximately 20 miles). <br />Of this total approximately 11,000 acre-feet is due to tree and <br />shrub growth. <br /> <br />It is estimated that the increase in water use by tree <br />and shrub growth amounted to at least 4,000 acre-feet between <br />1936 and 1957, or an average increase of ' about 200 acre-feet per <br />year. <br /> <br />Extension of study area results to the entire Arkansas <br />Valley from Pueblo to the Colorado-Kansas line indicates slightly <br />over 25,000 acres of tree and shrub growth using about 66,000 <br />acre-feet of water annually (these figures do not include growth <br />along tributaries to the Arkansas River) . <br /> <br />The author feels certain that the increase in phreatophyte <br />growth is a factor in the deterioration of the value of junior sur- <br />face water rights on the Arkansas River. <br /> <br />LRK: lk <br /> <br />;jt,,;i.-~ <br />