From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka):
When the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District first proposed Super Ditch to the Arkansas Basin Roundtable, Scanga said it would result in “the mother of all change cases.” The roundtable requested and received a grant from the Water Supply Reserve Account of the Colorado Water Conservation Board to develop an administrative tool to help settle differences. Scanga said it would be available to any objector to the Super Ditch change case in water court.
Thursday [ed. at the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy board meeting], Scanga explained the concerns of the Upper Arkansas Valley because of the potential for Super Ditch to alter river priority calls.
The case, when it is filed, will be complex because it deals with rotating dry-up of parcels on up to seven ditch systems with lingering impacts to the river over several years, Scanga said.
The Super Ditch is proposing a pilot program this year to sell 500 acre-feet of water to El Paso County water users.
Some other water users have criticized the Lower Ark district for not filing a change case before asking for a state-administered substitute water supply plan. Lower Ark officials contend more time is needed to assess the impacts.
More coverage from Bette McFarren writing for the La Junta Tribune-Democrat. From the article:
Roy Vaughan, Bureau of Reclamation, brought an update on the snow pack and showed photographs of the large pipeline valves going in at Pueblo Reservoir Dam which will enable the Southern Delivery System and possibly the Arkansas Valley Conduit and other pipelines…
The storage at Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lakes is above last year’s figures, but the Pueblo Reservoir is below last year, but still high at 121 percent of average. Twin Lakes at present is 105 percent and Turquoise Lake is 106 percent. The BOR is currently moving 200 cubic feet per second from Twin to Pueblo. The bureau will be moving 50 to 55 thousand acre- feet from October through March.