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First, Colorado has been working on the development and implementation of an augmentation plan that was submitted to the Republican River Compact Administration in March 2008.
The augmentation plan is required to maintain compliance with the Republican River Compact and the Final Settlement Stipulation reached between Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado in 2002.
The presentation will include a discussion of the legal, physical and financial challenges that Colorado has faced in the development of this augmentation plan and the current status of negotiations between the three states regarding the request for approval by Kansas and Nebraska.
Additional information regarding our compact compliance efforts can be found at:
Second, I promulgated new rules in the Arkansas River basin titled Irrigation Improvement Rules.
The Irrigation Improvement Rules are designed to allow improvements to the efficiency of irrigation systems in the Arkansas River Basin while ensuring compliance with the Arkansas River Compact.
I have determined that certain improvements to surface water irrigation systems, such as sprinklers and drip systems that replace flood and furrow irrigation, or canal-lining that reduces seepage, have the potential to materially deplete the usable waters of the Arkansas River in violation of the Compact.
The Irrigation Improvement Rules optimize use of the waters of the Arkansas River by allowing such improvements in a manner consistent with the terms of the Compact.
I submitted the Rules to the Water Court on September 30, 2009.
The Water Court approved the rules on October 25, 2010.
The effective date of the rules was January 1, 2011.
Additional information regarding the rules can be found at:
The last piece of information needed is the expected rainfall amounts between today and the date the crop matures.
While many parts of the state are very dry this year, one should still keep in mind the long-term average rainfall as shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Creating Urban Stormwater Control Ponds for Water Quality and Wildlife Habitat
Thomas G.
Barnes, Extension Wildlife Specialist Lowell Adams, National Institute for Urban Wildlife
Wellands are important wildlife habitats, and they provide numerous benefits and services to society.
Natural wetlands help replenish groundwater supplies, act as natural pollution filters, purify water, control erosion, lessen the impact of flooding, provide food and fiber for humans, and offer countless opportunities for education and recreation.
Because they are SO important to wildlife, wetlands have been called "nature's cities." Unfortunately, people have not valued wetland systems, and more than 80 percent of Kentucky's wetlands have been drained, filled, or destroyed.
Nationally, we have destroyed more than 50 percent of our wetlands.
Water is often a factor that limits the types, numbers, and abundance of wildlife in urban environments.
In the past, we destroyed natural wildlife water sources, such as wetlands and ponds, to make way for development.
Before land is developed, rainwater is intercepted by vegetation and infiltrates the soil.
After development, driveways, rooftops, and other impervious surfaces reduce the infiltration capacity of the soil.
Unable to percolate into the soil, rainwater moves over the area, with the potential to damage property and cause floods.
As water runs over roads, sidewalks, and parking lots, it picks up a number of pollutants including oil, grease, and heavy metals such as lead, zinc, copper, and mercury.
Rainwater that flows over lawns picks up nitrogen, phosphorous, and pesticides from lawn care products.
Stormwater runoff with its load of pollutants eventually reaches local streams where it deposits pollutants and increases the volume and velocity of stream water, resulting in greater stream contamination, channelization, erosion, and sedimentation.
As a result, fish and other aquatic life inhabiting these streams are often reduced in numbers or eliminated altogether.
In response to these problems, thousands of structures have been built throughout the United States for the purpose of controlling stormwater.
However, in the past, little consideration was given to structural designs that would also benefit wildlife and improve water quality.
The challenge to planners, engineers, and surveyors today is to design structures that will control stormwater and also improve water quality and provide wetland and wildlife habitat.
The purpose of this publication is to provide information for developers and government policy makers on creating a type of water source that will benefit wildlife and control stormwater discharge.
This information can also be used by developers when creating ornamental ponds at the entrances to new subdivisions and other public areas.
For specific en-
gineering and hydrologic information, contact the local Natural Resources Conservation Service and ask for a copy of their publication, Ponds-Planning, Design, Construction.
You may also want to obtain a copy of Guidelines for Stream and Wetland Protection in Kentucky from the Kentucky Division of Water.
This publication compares detention and retention ponds, two of the most common stormwater control structures used today, and provides information on how to design these structures to benefit waterfowl and other wildlife.
The two types of structures most commonly used to control urban stormwater are "dry" ponds, also known as detention ponds, and "wet" ponds, also known as retention ponds.
As their names imply, the major difference is the length of time water stands in the pond.
Dry ponds are designed to collect water during a storm and then release this water at a predetermined rate to a nearby body of water.
They are generally dry between storms.
Wet ponds are designed to contain water on a year-round basis.
Although both types of structures control stormwater and reduce the risk of flooding, wet ponds are much better at improving water quality and providing wildlife habitat.
Some of the costs and benefits of creating a detention or retention pond are discussed below.
Feasibility for the Site
The first step in choosing and designing a stormwater structure is to determine which designs are feasible for the site description, soil type, and local geology.
Wet ponds generally require more space than dry ponds, SO they are not recommended for small areas.
Soil permeability also influences which structures will be most successful.
For example, dry ponds work best in areas with extremely permeable sandy soils, but wet ponds are the better choice in areas with heavy clay soil where drainage is poor.
The local geology can also influence the design choice.
Wet ponds require extensive excavation and are more difficult to create in areas where the underlying bedrock is close to the surface.
Stormwater may contain many pollutants, including sediment and heavy metals that exist in particulate form and soluble pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
For a variety of reasons, wet ponds are much better than dry ponds at removing both types of pollutants and thereby improving water quality.
Sediment and particulate pollutants are removed from water when they are allowed to settle to the bottom of the pond.
Because water is present in dry ponds for relatively short periods of time, most of this sediment remains suspended in the water released from the pond.
However, wet ponds hold water for longer periods of time, allowing for greater settling of suspended sediments and nonsoluble pollutants, thus improving water quality in water bodies receiving this flow.
In addition, aquatic plants present in wet ponds are able to further improve water quality by using some of the soluble pollutants and incorporating them into plant tissue.
Groundwater recharge refers to water that infiltrates the soil surface and percolates into the groundwater reservoir.
Part of the water present in retention ponds infiltrates through the bottom and sides of the pond into the groundwater reservoir.
Detention ponds, on the other hand, usually allow less groundwater recharge because the water is only present a short period of time before moving into a receiving body of water.
Wildlife Habitat and Recreation Benefits
Properly designed wet ponds can provide habitat for a number of species of wildlife and native plants that are dependent on wetlands.
Dry ponds, on the other hand, provide little opportunity for enhancing wildlife habitat.
Wet ponds will be used by various waterfowl species, furbearing animals, songbirds, and reptiles and amphibians.
Depending on their size and design, wet ponds can provide a number of recreational opportunities including birdwatching, fishing, boating, and ice skating.
Dry ponds do not typically provide such recreational values.
Construction and Maintenance Costs
Construction costs are generally 30 to 60 percent higher for wet ponds than for dry ponds.
However, many studies have shown that homeowners are willing to pay more for houses near landscaped ponds, and developers are often able to make up this initial deficit.
In addition, landscaped ponds provide numerous other benefits that cannot be translated directly into dollar values, such as improved water quality and wildlife habitat.
Maintenance needs differ between the two structures.
For instance, dry ponds maintained as the law requires need more frequent mowing and removal of trash.
In addition, fertilizer used on the lawn contributes to the already excessive nutrient loads in downstream water.
Wet ponds require less routine maintenance; however, sediment removal is needed approximately every ten to twenty years, and this can be expensive.
Dry ponds require sediment removal much less frequently because they accumulate less sediment per storm.
Both types of structures should be inspected on a regular basis to ensure they are functioning correctly.
Wet Ponds as Community Assets
In the past in the Northeast, dry ponds have been built more frequently than wet ponds.
This trend is beginning to change as citizen concern over water quality and availability continues to escalate and land planners and engineers become aware of the multiple values and benefits associated with well-designed and landscaped wet ponds.
Because wet ponds are far superior to dry ponds in improving water quality, providing wetland and wildlife habitat, and providing recreational and educational opportunities, these ponds should be built whenever they are feasible for available sites.
Wet ponds can be assets to a community because of these multiple benefits.
In addition, they enhance the quality of life by providing attractive and tranquil refuges in the midst of an urban environment.
Designing Stormwater Structures for Wildlife
The opportunity exists for creating wetland and wildlife habitat in conjunction with stormwater management.
Design features that make a pond specifically attractive to wildlife are described below.
Each pond and site will be different, and not all of these recommendations will be possible for every pond.
However, the recommendations are guidelines to assist planners in designing multi-purpose ponds that not only control stormwater and improve water quality, but go one step further by providing wetland and wildlife habitat.
Stormwater regulations vary from location to location and should be consulted before developing a management plan.
In addition, it is beneficial to consult with a wildlife biologist for additional input on specific projects.
Water depth and bank slope
To maximize wildlife habitat and pollutant removal, wet ponds should be shallow with gently sloping sides.
In general, 25 to 50 percent of the water surface area should be between two and three feet deep.
The shallow water areas provide habitat for tadpoles, small fish, and aquatic insects like dragonflies and mayflies.
These in turn provide food for waterfowl, wading birds such as great blue herons, and other
wildlife.
Shallow areas are also necessary to establish aquatic plants that provide both food and cover for waterfowl and other wildlife.
A slope of 10:1 along the edge will provide shallow water habitat where aquatic plants can be established.
Studies have shown that shallow ponds beneficial for wildlife are also better for improving water quality and are safer for children.

First, Colorado has been working on the development and implementation of an augmentation plan that was submitted to the Republican River Compact Administration in March 2008.

The augmentation plan is required to maintain compliance with the Republican River Compact and the Final Settlement Stipulation reached between Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado in 2002.

The presentation will include a discussion of the legal, physical and financial challenges that Colorado has faced in the development of this augmentation plan and the current status of negotiations between the three states regarding the request for approval by Kansas and Nebraska.

Additional information regarding our compact compliance efforts can be found at:

Second, I promulgated new rules in the Arkansas River basin titled Irrigation Improvement Rules.

The Irrigation Improvement Rules are designed to allow improvements to the efficiency of irrigation systems in the Arkansas River Basin while ensuring compliance with the Arkansas River Compact.

I have determined that certain improvements to surface water irrigation systems, such as sprinklers and drip systems that replace flood and furrow irrigation, or canal-lining that reduces seepage, have the potential to materially deplete the usable waters of the Arkansas River in violation of the Compact.

The Irrigation Improvement Rules optimize use of the waters of the Arkansas River by allowing such improvements in a manner consistent with the terms of the Compact.

I submitted the Rules to the Water Court on September 30, 2009.

The Water Court approved the rules on October 25, 2010.

The effective date of the rules was January 1, 2011.

Additional information regarding the rules can be found at:

The last piece of information needed is the expected rainfall amounts between today and the date the crop matures.

While many parts of the state are very dry this year, one should still keep in mind the long-term average rainfall as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Creating Urban Stormwater Control Ponds for Water Quality and Wildlife Habitat

Thomas G.

Barnes, Extension Wildlife Specialist Lowell Adams, National Institute for Urban Wildlife

Wellands are important wildlife habitats, and they provide numerous benefits and services to society.

Natural wetlands help replenish groundwater supplies, act as natural pollution filters, purify water, control erosion, lessen the impact of flooding, provide food and fiber for humans, and offer countless opportunities for education and recreation.

Because they are SO important to wildlife, wetlands have been called "nature's cities." Unfortunately, people have not valued wetland systems, and more than 80 percent of Kentucky's wetlands have been drained, filled, or destroyed.

Nationally, we have destroyed more than 50 percent of our wetlands.

Water is often a factor that limits the types, numbers, and abundance of wildlife in urban environments.

In the past, we destroyed natural wildlife water sources, such as wetlands and ponds, to make way for development.

Before land is developed, rainwater is intercepted by vegetation and infiltrates the soil.

After development, driveways, rooftops, and other impervious surfaces reduce the infiltration capacity of the soil.

Unable to percolate into the soil, rainwater moves over the area, with the potential to damage property and cause floods.

As water runs over roads, sidewalks, and parking lots, it picks up a number of pollutants including oil, grease, and heavy metals such as lead, zinc, copper, and mercury.

Rainwater that flows over lawns picks up nitrogen, phosphorous, and pesticides from lawn care products.

Stormwater runoff with its load of pollutants eventually reaches local streams where it deposits pollutants and increases the volume and velocity of stream water, resulting in greater stream contamination, channelization, erosion, and sedimentation.

As a result, fish and other aquatic life inhabiting these streams are often reduced in numbers or eliminated altogether.

In response to these problems, thousands of structures have been built throughout the United States for the purpose of controlling stormwater.

However, in the past, little consideration was given to structural designs that would also benefit wildlife and improve water quality.

The challenge to planners, engineers, and surveyors today is to design structures that will control stormwater and also improve water quality and provide wetland and wildlife habitat.

The purpose of this publication is to provide information for developers and government policy makers on creating a type of water source that will benefit wildlife and control stormwater discharge.

This information can also be used by developers when creating ornamental ponds at the entrances to new subdivisions and other public areas.

For specific en-

gineering and hydrologic information, contact the local Natural Resources Conservation Service and ask for a copy of their publication, Ponds-Planning, Design, Construction.

You may also want to obtain a copy of Guidelines for Stream and Wetland Protection in Kentucky from the Kentucky Division of Water.

This publication compares detention and retention ponds, two of the most common stormwater control structures used today, and provides information on how to design these structures to benefit waterfowl and other wildlife.

The two types of structures most commonly used to control urban stormwater are "dry" ponds, also known as detention ponds, and "wet" ponds, also known as retention ponds.

As their names imply, the major difference is the length of time water stands in the pond.

Dry ponds are designed to collect water during a storm and then release this water at a predetermined rate to a nearby body of water.

They are generally dry between storms.

Wet ponds are designed to contain water on a year-round basis.

Although both types of structures control stormwater and reduce the risk of flooding, wet ponds are much better at improving water quality and providing wildlife habitat.

Some of the costs and benefits of creating a detention or retention pond are discussed below.

Feasibility for the Site

The first step in choosing and designing a stormwater structure is to determine which designs are feasible for the site description, soil type, and local geology.

Wet ponds generally require more space than dry ponds, SO they are not recommended for small areas.

Soil permeability also influences which structures will be most successful.

For example, dry ponds work best in areas with extremely permeable sandy soils, but wet ponds are the better choice in areas with heavy clay soil where drainage is poor.

The local geology can also influence the design choice.

Wet ponds require extensive excavation and are more difficult to create in areas where the underlying bedrock is close to the surface.

Stormwater may contain many pollutants, including sediment and heavy metals that exist in particulate form and soluble pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

For a variety of reasons, wet ponds are much better than dry ponds at removing both types of pollutants and thereby improving water quality.

Sediment and particulate pollutants are removed from water when they are allowed to settle to the bottom of the pond.

Because water is present in dry ponds for relatively short periods of time, most of this sediment remains suspended in the water released from the pond.

However, wet ponds hold water for longer periods of time, allowing for greater settling of suspended sediments and nonsoluble pollutants, thus improving water quality in water bodies receiving this flow.

In addition, aquatic plants present in wet ponds are able to further improve water quality by using some of the soluble pollutants and incorporating them into plant tissue.

Groundwater recharge refers to water that infiltrates the soil surface and percolates into the groundwater reservoir.

Part of the water present in retention ponds infiltrates through the bottom and sides of the pond into the groundwater reservoir.

Detention ponds, on the other hand, usually allow less groundwater recharge because the water is only present a short period of time before moving into a receiving body of water.

Wildlife Habitat and Recreation Benefits

Properly designed wet ponds can provide habitat for a number of species of wildlife and native plants that are dependent on wetlands.

Dry ponds, on the other hand, provide little opportunity for enhancing wildlife habitat.

Wet ponds will be used by various waterfowl species, furbearing animals, songbirds, and reptiles and amphibians.

Depending on their size and design, wet ponds can provide a number of recreational opportunities including birdwatching, fishing, boating, and ice skating.

Dry ponds do not typically provide such recreational values.

Construction and Maintenance Costs

Construction costs are generally 30 to 60 percent higher for wet ponds than for dry ponds.

However, many studies have shown that homeowners are willing to pay more for houses near landscaped ponds, and developers are often able to make up this initial deficit.

In addition, landscaped ponds provide numerous other benefits that cannot be translated directly into dollar values, such as improved water quality and wildlife habitat.

Maintenance needs differ between the two structures.

For instance, dry ponds maintained as the law requires need more frequent mowing and removal of trash.

In addition, fertilizer used on the lawn contributes to the already excessive nutrient loads in downstream water.

Wet ponds require less routine maintenance; however, sediment removal is needed approximately every ten to twenty years, and this can be expensive.

Dry ponds require sediment removal much less frequently because they accumulate less sediment per storm.

Both types of structures should be inspected on a regular basis to ensure they are functioning correctly.

Wet Ponds as Community Assets

In the past in the Northeast, dry ponds have been built more frequently than wet ponds.

This trend is beginning to change as citizen concern over water quality and availability continues to escalate and land planners and engineers become aware of the multiple values and benefits associated with well-designed and landscaped wet ponds.

Because wet ponds are far superior to dry ponds in improving water quality, providing wetland and wildlife habitat, and providing recreational and educational opportunities, these ponds should be built whenever they are feasible for available sites.

Wet ponds can be assets to a community because of these multiple benefits.

In addition, they enhance the quality of life by providing attractive and tranquil refuges in the midst of an urban environment.

Designing Stormwater Structures for Wildlife

The opportunity exists for creating wetland and wildlife habitat in conjunction with stormwater management.

Design features that make a pond specifically attractive to wildlife are described below.

Each pond and site will be different, and not all of these recommendations will be possible for every pond.

However, the recommendations are guidelines to assist planners in designing multi-purpose ponds that not only control stormwater and improve water quality, but go one step further by providing wetland and wildlife habitat.

Stormwater regulations vary from location to location and should be consulted before developing a management plan.

In addition, it is beneficial to consult with a wildlife biologist for additional input on specific projects.

Water depth and bank slope

To maximize wildlife habitat and pollutant removal, wet ponds should be shallow with gently sloping sides.

In general, 25 to 50 percent of the water surface area should be between two and three feet deep.

The shallow water areas provide habitat for tadpoles, small fish, and aquatic insects like dragonflies and mayflies.

These in turn provide food for waterfowl, wading birds such as great blue herons, and other

wildlife.

Shallow areas are also necessary to establish aquatic plants that provide both food and cover for waterfowl and other wildlife.

A slope of 10:1 along the edge will provide shallow water habitat where aquatic plants can be established.

Studies have shown that shallow ponds beneficial for wildlife are also better for improving water quality and are safer for children.