The Arkansas Valley Its Water

BROCHURE NO. 5 THE FRYINGPAN-ARKANSAS WATER PROJECT AND ITS STRUCTURE OF THE ARKANSAS VALLEY JS ITS WATER THE FUTURE OF ITS WATER IS THE SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO vVater C o n servancy Dis tric t LEGAL ACiEHCY FOR FRY - ARK WATER PROJECT P 0. BOX A40 • 905 HIWAY 50 WEST • PUEBLO COLORADO 81001 The headquarters for the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District is located ot 905 Highway 50 West in Pueblo, Colorado. The District is governed by a Boord of Directors consisting of fifteen men representing all segments of the economy in the Con servancy District. These Directors, in behalf of the nearly 400,000 citizens who live within the confines of the District, have assumed the responsibility of repaying a large shore of the reimbursable portion of the Project through the sale of imported Project water, storage fees for native water in the East Slope Reservoirs, and the sole of native water stored and not used within a specific period. The District, os provided by low levies on od volorem lox an nually which becomes port of the repayment pro gram. LOCATION THE PROJECT AND THE DISTRICT The Fryingpon-Arkonsas Project is located in central and southeastern Colorado. The collection and The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy diversion area is located in o mountainous and primi District , embracing the irrigable lands and munici tive oreo above on elevation of 10,000 feet on the polities of the Arkansas River Basin within the Proj headwaters of the Fryingpon and Roaring Fork ect oreo) was created in 1958 under the Colorado Rivers on the West Slope of the Continental Divide Water Conservancy District Statutes for developing in Pitkin and Eagle Counties. The service area of the and administrating the Fryingpon-Arkonsos Project Project is located in the Arkansas River Basin on the (see Brochure No 1 ). East Slope of the Continental D,v,de in lake, Chof. fee, Fremont, ?ueblo, El Paso, Otero, Crowley, Bent, The Fryingpon Arkansas Water Project began os Prowers and K,owo Counties. The headwaters of the a dream many years ago, when o few visionary men Arkansas R·ver lie above timberline in the h'gh and women realized the seriousness of water. They mountains near leadvi le . The river then flows south set about studying the water lows of Colorado; the and east through canyons and foothills to the gently amounts of water to which the citizens of this Stole rolling high plo ns of eastern Colorado. The Arkansas were legally entitled, but which they were not using; River in Colorado stretches 340 miles from the Roc the engineering involved in making this water avail ky Mountains to the Colorodo-Konsos boundary and able to the citizens of Colorado; and the procedures comprises and oreo of 26, 150 square miles or ap to be followed in making their dreams o reality. proximately one fourth of the total area of the Stole. They sifted reams of information, held countless ln Stote and Out of-Stole meetings, and finally deter The Project headquarters is 1ocated in the First mined the Fryingpon Project was the best way to get National Bank Building in the C,ty of Pueblo. Other Colorado and Arkansas River water for the present principal Cities in the East Slope Project area ore and future citizens of this semi-arid Arkansas Volley. Leadville, Bueno Vista, Salido, Canon Cty, Colorado Sprngs, Rocky Ford, Lo Junta and Los Animas. On August 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed the Bill , passed earlier by the Congress of the HISTORY OF THE AREA Un ited States, creating the Fryingpon Arkansas Proj ect. The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy The Arkansas River Basin was first explored by D strict become the legal agency responsible for the the Spanish from 1760 to 1780. The first official ex repoyment of the reimbursable portion of this multi ploration by the United States was made in 1806 by million dollar, mu ti-purpose Project. The information Lt. Zebulon Pike. later explorations were directed by contoined in this, and other Brochures, expla·n the Captain John C. Fremont and Captain John W. critical role being performed by the District and the Gunnison. The first permonent settlements were es serious responsibilities which have been imposed upon tablished after the discovery of gold in 1859. In the the fifteen men who serve os Directors for this ensuing years, o large influx of settlers to the Arkan· agency. 2 sos Valley occurred. Most were gold seekers of the "Pikes Peak or Bust" gold rush. A few were successful in their search, however, most of them went "busted". Many took up farming in the Arkansas River Valley in support of the mining industry. Permanent settle ments were established and the era of irrigation development began. The second major development in the Valley was ' the introduction of cattle. In 1862, John W. Prowers imported 100 head of cattle into the Valley. Because of his success in the cattle business, large herds were imported from Texas. By the end of October 1870, over 30,000 head of Texas cattle were in the Arkan sas region and 10,000 were reported to have been driven into Pueblo in the first ten days of November, 1870. The agricultural industry of the Arkansas Valley was firmly established at the start of the Twentieth Century. IRRIGATED ONIONS PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS Climate OF THE AREA The climate in the Project area ranges from sub humid in the high mountains to semi-arid in the lower Ir rig ation Development elevations. On the Western Slope in the collection area, the mean annual precipitation is 20 inches and Irrigation in the Arkansas Volley has grown steadily in importance since its introduction. Available the average temperature is 36.6 degrees Fahrenheit. stream runoff was utilized at the outset. But, as This is in contrast wirh the City of Pueblo on the markets developed and irrigation farming increased, Eastern Slope with a mean annual precipitation of the demand for late season water could not be sup 11.67 inches and average temperature of 5 2 degrees Fahrenheit. plied by unregulated streamflow. As a result, farmer owned mutual irrigation companies were formed. The average normal precipitation throughout the These companies constructed 15 reservoirs having a fifteen County region in the Arkansas River Drainage total storage capacity of 800,000 acre-feet, and 8 is approximately 13.66 inches per year. It is of interest transmountain diversion systems importing approxi to note what an average annual precipitation of mately 50,000 acre-feet of water annually. 13.66 inches mean to the Arkansas Valley. If it were possible to contain all of the average annual precipi The amount of irrigation water available in the tation which falls in the Arkansas Valley, and prevent Project area varies considerably from year to year. any from evaporating or leaving the Valley by The average flow of the Arkansas River at Pueblo streams, underground rivers, or other means, such is approximately 750 second-feet. The total adjudi m?i~ture would provide a total of approximately 18 cated direct flow rights on the main stem from the m,11,on acre-feet for use in the region. Temperature headwaters to the State line amount to 7,400 second and water usuage are closely related. Based upon the feet. Shortages as high as 78 percent of crop re 1963 water-use records from six communities in the quirement hove occured. Arkansas Valley, 78 percent of the total water used in the six communities was consumed during the Agricultural Products warmer months and 22 percent during the cooler The principal crops grown in the area of the winter months. The average monthly use during the Fryingpan-Arkansos Project ore alfalfa, corn, sor wa~mer part of the year was 15.3 million gallons, ghum and sugar beets. Specialty crops such as onions, while the cooler months averaged approximately 6.2 million gallons. beans, tomatoes and melons, ore grown extensively in the area. The farms within the Arksonsos Volley Evaporation is an important factor in the water hove a good balance between crop and livestock resource management of the region. A surprising farming. quantity of water is lost back to the atmosphere 3 4 through evaporation, and this amount varies in close gotion, municipal and industrial water, power, flood relationship to the different areas in t~e r~gion. control, fish and wildlife, recreation, and sediment Records indicate that the annual evaporation 1n the control. Arkansas Valley region ranges from 62 inches in the Eastern Counties to approximately 26.5 inches at The Project involves a transmountain diversion Turquoise Reservoir near Leadville. of water, thus requiring features on both the East and West Slopes of the Continental Divide. Water Population from the Colorado River Ba sin will be diverted for beneficial and consumptive uses in the Arkansas River Population of the Arkansas Valley has grown Basin in Colorado. The imported water, together with steadily, especially the Cities of Pueblo and Colorado regulated native Arkansas River water, will provide Springs. Pueblo's population was 52, 162 in 194? ~nd supplemental irrigation, municipal and industrial 91,181 in 1960. Colorado Springs has had a s1m1lar water, and enable power generation. Flood control growth rate going from 36,789 in 1940 to 70, 194 in will be provided by Pueblo Reservoir on the Arkansas 1960. Current estimated population for Colorado River immediately above Pueblo, Colorado. (See Springs and Pueblo is over 100,000 each. The popu Brochure No. 2) lation of the nine counties in which the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District is located has grown from a population of 204,465 in 1940 to REPAYMENT OF COSTS 342, 189 in 1960.

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