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STATE BUYS WATER FOR JOHN MARTIN RESERVOIR
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HASTY, Colo. - The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) and Colorado State Parks have jointly purchased 3,000 acre-feet of water from the City of Colorado Springs to add to the permanent water storage pool at John Martin Reservoir.

"This purchase will help ensure the long-term storage needs for fishing and recreation at John Martin," said Dan Prenzlow, DOW Southeast Region Manager. "Adding water to the permanent storage pool is an investment that will pay long-term dividends for outdoor recreation and the health of the fishery."

The state purchased the water at a price of $20 per acre-foot for a total cost of $60,000 split equally between the two agencies. The water is Colorado River water that was stored in Pueblo Reservoir.

John Martin Reservoir is one of the top spots in southeast Colorado for crappies, wiper, catfish, walleye, saugeye, perch, bluegill, bass, and other warm water species. "Given good water conditions, I am confident that our fisheries biologists will be able to continue to maintain John Martin as a top notch fishery," said Prenzlow.

In addition to fishing, John Martin is a popular place for camping, boating, waterfowl hunting, and bird watching. The reservoir is bordered on the east and north by a state park; and on the west and south by a state wildlife area.

When full, John Martin has the potential to be the one of the largest reservoirs in the state. Over the course of several dry years during the early part of the decade, John Martin almost dried up because a lack of inflows, combined with evaporation, nearly depleted the permanent pool. Since then, the state has been looking for opportunities to replenish the permanent pool.

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