Managing the Arkansas River
The management of the Arkansas River is complex, of course. The Pueblo Chieftain is running two articles on the subject today. The first article deals with management of the river's fishery. From the article, "A voluntary flow program regulates the amount of water in the river, allowing fish to spawn in the fall and protecting them from rushing whirlpools of water to some extent at other times, he said. But that same flow program can lower the elevation of Twin Lakes by feet in late summer, taking the warmest water off the top of the lakes when they are in their most productive period, at least from a fish's point of view. Policky traced the history of fish in the basin since man's arrival in the mid-1800s. Two native species were virtually wiped out because of overfishing and introduction of non-native species. While the yellowfin cutthroat trout became extinct by the late 1800s, a population of greenback cutthroat trout is being restored above Twin Lakes. The greenback cannot compete with the brown trout on the Arkansas River mainstem, however. Policky said the greenback recovery program has been a success...
"In bygone days, the federal fish hatchery at Leadville, along with numerous other hatcheries in the valley, stocked the river with non-native species. While increasing the supply of fish, past practices did little to improve habitat. Commercial fishermen harvested the river to feed the miners. Grazing went unchecked, disturbing the ground cover. Mines belched heavy metals into the streams. After World War II, wildlife management, conservation and habitat improvement efforts began on several fronts. Limits were placed on anglers, water quality regulations were implemented and grazing restrictions were put in place. Boulders were placed in the river by the Bureau of Land Management to improve fish habitat. While fisheries still must be stocked, a sustainable fish population is developing. The fish in the river today are more plentiful, larger and healthier than 10 years ago, he said. 'We could not make good fisheries by throwing rocks in it or sticking a regulation on it,' Policky said. 'The fish population is the ultimate indicator of how well we're doing.' But what's good for the fish may not always be good for people. During the drought of 2002, when river flows were sluggish, the fish thrived."
The second Chieftain article deals with managing minimum flows for recreation. They write, "The state, using rafting fees, has leased $100,000 worth of water the past five years to maintain healthy flows in the Arkansas River. Pueblo and Chaffee County are spending big bucks to gain minimum flows for boating. But commercial rafters realize they can't buy happiness when it comes to whitewater, so they rely on cooperation...
"For 15 years, rafters have relied on a voluntary flow program to achieve minimum flows through mid-August. The agreement, supported by the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, the Bureau of Reclamation and state agencies, keeps minimum flows in the river for boaters in the summer months and for fish during the rest of the year...
"Minimum flows year-round of 250 cubic feet per second provide better habitat for fish. During the rafting season, the target is flows of at least 700 cfs, using no more than 10,000 acre-feet of Fryingpan-Arkansas Project water. The flow plan is approved annually.While that doesn't always happen - some years are just too dry - it has allowed the Arkansas River to become the most heavily rafted reach in the world, said Rob White, Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area manager. White said the flow program has given the biggest benefit to rafters, with the cooperation of other water users, like the Pueblo Board of Water Works...
"Outfitters pay a 5.25 percent fee to lease or purchase water. While the fund was set up to accrue money to purchase supplemental water releases in three years out of every 10, the past five years have been so dry that the state parks has spent $100,000 a year on water...Felt said the cost of water has skyrocketed during the drought, making cooperative programs more necessary than ever. Water that leased for $11 per acre-foot in the 1990s now costs more than $200 an acre-foot, if you can find it, he said...
"The Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District also plays a role, said Terry Scanga, the district's general manger. The district helps augment flows from users in Chaffee, Custer and western Fremont County, helping to keep baseline flows at natural levels...
"The Colorado Water Conservation Board is the only agency in the state allowed to hold in-stream flow rights, and while there are some on tributaries of the Arkansas River, there need to be more on the river itself, Whiting said. The CWCB is considering a request by Pueblo for an in-stream flow right of 100 cfs below Pueblo Dam. It now holds such rights on 8,500 miles of streams out of a total of more than 100,000 miles in the state, as well as purchasing some senior water rights. About 3,000 miles of those rights are in wilderness areas, Whiting said."
Category: Colorado Water
10:13:39 AM 
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