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<br />Report of U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Activities <br />in the Arkansas River Basin of Colorado <br /> <br />to the <br /> <br />Arkansas River Compact Administration <br /> <br />December 9, 1997 <br /> <br />Items of Direct Interest to the Administration <br /> <br />The report entitled "Evaluation of streamflow traveltime and streamflow gains and losses along <br />the lower Purgatoire River, southeastern Colorado, 1984-92", which was partially funded by the <br />Administration, was published and distributed in May 1997. <br /> <br />The USGS again received small decreases in funding for the Federal Collection of Basic Records <br />Program in 1998, and additional cuts are expected through 2002 as part of the agreement to <br />balance the Federal budget. This program provides basic station funding for 6 of the stations <br />operated in support of the Compact (4 in Colorado and 2 in Kansas). Although funding for <br />Compact stations was not affected in 1998, continued decreases in funding could affect these <br />stations in the future. <br /> <br />The USGS began a 3-year study in cooperation with the Colorado State Engineer in spring 1997 <br />to compare the power conversion coefficient (PCe) method to totalizing flow meters (TFM) for <br />estimating ground-water pumpage in the lower Arkansas River valley alluvial aquifer of <br />Colorado. The Colorado State Engineer adopted rules in 1994 governing the measurement of <br />tributary ground-water diversions. The rules require owners of large-capacity wells to provide <br />monthly pumpage information using either a TFM or using electrical power consumption and a <br />PCC. Most well owners elected to use the PCC method. Representatives of the state of Kansas <br />believe the pce method is not an acceptable way to determine ground water pump age unless <br />studies can verify the comparability of pump age estimates using the pce method to estimates <br />using TFMs. The Colorado State Engineer asked the USGS to do this study to help resolve this <br />question. <br /> <br />The report entitled "Relations of streamflow and specific-conductance trends to reservoir <br />operations in the lower Arkansas River, southeastern Colorado" and an accompanying USGS Fact <br />Sheet, both of which were prepared as a part ofa study of water quality in the Arkansas River <br />basin of Colorado, have been approved for publication and are being prepared for printing, with <br />distribution expected in spring 1998. The reports show that, after implementation of the 1980 <br />operating plan, streamflow at both the Arkansas River below John Martin Reservoir and the <br />Arkansas River at Lamar increased during the inigation season and salinity decreased during both <br />the inigation and non-irrigation season <br /> <br />'~B31 <br />