Jim Broderick of the Southeast Colorado Water Conservancy District appeared before the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District in Rocky Ford recently to explain the changes in excess capacity storage in the Pueblo Reservoir.
During the December Excess Capacity part of the Preferred Storage Options Plan Committee meeting, the members answered yes to the following questions:
- Is the committee willing to allow movement of storage space among participants that fit within spill priority No. 4?
- Is the committee willing to allow new participants that have project carryover space into the process?
- Is the committee willing to allow new participants that don’t have project carryover space into the process?
- Is the committee willing to allow the entities that have moved on their own to try and obtain long-term excess capacity storage contracts to have their original requests modified so long as the commitment to pay for a total of 38,425 acre-feet is maintained?
In allowing more flexibility in the excess capacity storage, the Conservancy District will be allowing the Pueblo Reservoir to be near capacity most of the time, while maintaining the flood pool allowance. Pueblo Reservoir is, in fact, being used as a management tool for the distribution of water. Spill priorities come into play when the amount of water pushes the flood pool allowance. If the reservoir is unable to sell off the excess water, it is released into the river as free water, with the entities receiving it in the order of their spill privileges. Project water, such as will go into the Conduit, comes from the Western Slope Fryingpan River through underground tunnels to Turquoise Lake, then Twin Lakes, then downstream to the Pueblo Reservoir. Project water is not ever spill water.
Also, there will be changes in the payment of expenses related to the storage of the water.
Memorandums of Agreement will need to be amended to handle these changes. The MOAs will need to be agreed upon and signed before the environmental assessment begins. Additionally, the new entities that are requesting to join the process will need to sign the amended MOA and begin paying for their portion of the expenses as outlined within the MOA.
Master contracts may be negotiated for long or short terms. Municipalities will generally prefer long-term contracts, while agricultural entities may prefer one-year contracts. Environmental Impact Studies expenses are being shared by the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District as part of its Master Contract for Excess Capacity and the Conduit project, a savings for both entities.
