From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
“We have a few more edits to make to the contract,” said Kara Lamb, public information officer for the Bureau of Reclamation. “Then, it will be made publicly available for review and comment.” Reclamation is not sure about the timetable, Lamb added…
Negotiations concluded on Wednesday as Colorado Springs and Reclamation wrapped up a process that began in May to allow SDS participants — Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security and Pueblo West — to connect a 50-mile pipeline to Pueblo Dam and to store water in Lake Pueblo. Colorado Springs also will receive a contract to move up to 10,000 acre-feet of water annually in a paper trade from Lake Pueblo to Twin Lakes. The storage rate would be $36 per acre-foot annually, increasing by 1.79 percent each year. At the end of the contract term of nearly 40 years, the rate would be doubled. The SDS partners also will receive $5 million in credit over five years for oversizing the $30 million North Outlet Works. Initially, about 28,000 acre-feet of water would be stored. The amount will ramp up to 42,000 acre-feet over several years. That would generate about $1 million in the first year, and more than $3 million annually by 2050. The money goes toward repayment of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, including the Arkansas Valley Conduit, under a law signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year.
There actually are five contracts involved. Colorado Springs is representing all of its partners on a conveyance contract that would transfer the North Outlet Works title to the federal government and determine how operating, maintenance and replacement costs would be paid. Each of the four communities also would have a storage contract, with Colorado Springs’ exchange included in its contract. Another provision allows Fountain to trade space in the Fountain Valley Conduit for SDS pipeline space with Colorado Springs.