El Paso Groundwater Report Just the First Step
A draft report on the opportunities for groundwater storage and recharge in the Arkansas River basin was presented last week to the Arkansas Basin Roundtable.
"We believe there are greater questions that need to be answered," said Betty Konarski, president of El Paso County Water Authority.
The report is based on a two-day conference in September at Colorado Springs, which was funded through the roundtable, the state Interbasin Compact Committee and the Colorado Water Conservation Board. It was written by Gary Barber, roundtable president, and Mary Lou Smith of Aqua Engineering.
From presentations at the conference, they conclude there is a paradox contained in the state’s prior appropriation law, which has dual goals of protecting water rights and maximizing beneficial use.
The report suggests using flexibility in a scientific approach that preserves water rights in order to recharge aquifers in both the South Platte and Arkansas Valleys.
Aquifer recharge is seen as a way to provide storage as well, relieving pressure on surface water users.
"One of the findings was that no one will do anything until there is a project," Konarski said. "We do have a project on the Upper Black Squirrel."
The roundtable in 2006 voted to fund a water recharge study for Upper Black Squirrel, an aquifer which is not considered tributary to the Arkansas River. The idea would be to store water from other sources in the aquifer, in effect providing a new type of off-channel reservoir.
"The question is: ‘When you recharge, what happens when you take it out?’ Who makes the rules?" Konarski said.
Copies of the report may be obtained from and comments directed to Mary Lou Smith at Aqua Engineering, 970-226-3855.
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