State Gets Water for Arkansas River & John Martin Reservoir

The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) and the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation (DPOR) have joined forces to lease water from the Pueblo Board of Water Works to maintain stream flows in the Arkansas River through Pueblo.
 
“This is a win-win situation,” said Dan Prenzlow, the DOW Southeast Regional Manager. “Water released from Pueblo Reservoir will assure adequate flows to protect the fishery through Pueblo County and ultimately increase the storage content of the permanent pool at John Martin Reservoir.”
 
“This is very good news for anglers,” said Prenzlow. In the past two years, the amount of water that could be legally stored in John Martin Reservoir has reached dangerously low levels. “The added storage at John Martin will result in better fishing conditions next summer.”
 
State Parks and the DOW will split the cost to purchase up to a maximum of 3,082-acre feet. The water will be released at a rate to maintain a minimum outflow of 50 cubic feet per second (cfs) below the Pueblo dam. 
 
Once the water reaches John Martin Reservoir, it will become part of the permanent storage pool.  John Martin Reservoir is bordered on the east and north by a state park; and on the west and south by a state wildlife area.
 
“During winter storage conditions, most downstream users won’t call for water until after March 15,” said John Tonko, a water specialist with the DOW. “Under those conditions, there are times when the Arkansas River through Pueblo could be reduced to a trickle.  By keeping the flow at 50 cfs, we can protect the fish and continue to provide angling opportunities.”
 
Tonko said that if downstream users do call for water, and stream flows are maintained at a minimum of 50 cfs, then Pueblo Water Works will retain the water in Pueblo Reservoir thereby reducing the final cost to the DOW and DPOR.
 
"We are pleased to be involved in this cooperative effort to enhance the flow of the Arkansas River through Pueblo," said Alan Ward, a Water Resources Specialist Board of Water Works of Pueblo.
 
Tonko also thanked the staff of Colorado Division of Water Resources at the Division 2 office in Pueblo.  “The DOW has gone to great lengths to establish the stretch of the Arkansas River through Pueblo as an outstanding place to fish,” said Tonko. “This cooperative agreement is an excellent insurance policy to protect those fish.”
 
The Colorado Division of Wildlife is the state agency responsible for managing wildlife and its habitat, as well as providing wildlife related recreation and maintaining a balance between human activities and wildlife.  The Division is funded primarily through the sale of  hunting and fishing licenses, with some support from federal grants and the Colorado Lottery via Great Outdoors Colorado.