From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
The Lower Ark board approved the agreement Wednesday, after county commissioners held a hearing and approved the agreement earlier this month…
Water from the Gunnison basin is imported through the mountain ditch in Saguache County above Poncha Creek, and traditionally was used by Catlin Canal irrigators as a supplemental water source. Typically, it diverts less than 500 acre-feet annually, and is only a small part of the Catlin’s supply. The Lower Ark wants to change the water right to use for purposes within the basin. Under the agreement, the water first must be offered to any water user in Otero County, but there are further limitations.
They include:
– No permanent transfers off the main stem of the Arkansas River.
– No more than one-third of the water produced by Larkspur over any 10-year period could be used outside the mainstem of the Arkansas River by any means, including trades and exchanges.
– The main stem, as defined in the agreement, includes the Arkansas River and tributaries below Pueblo Dam, excluding Fountain Creek.
– The Lower Ark district is also asking the Otero County commissioners to maintain conditions at least as restrictive as in the agreement, or to amend the agreement if other agreements get more lenient conditions.
More Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District coverage here.