WSP08835

• File Number: 8149.100
• Description: Miscellaneous Small Projects and Project Studies - NRCS-Ft Lyon Canal Co Limestone Graveyard Creeks
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 2
• Date: 6/2/1993
• Author: Gronning Engineering
• Title: Ft Lyon Canal Company Water Transfer Alternatives Study Phase I Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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008\

CHAPTER 3

THE FT. LYON CANAL SYSTEM AND ITS ENVIRONMENT

Introduction

The Ft. Lyon Canal Company is a mutual irrigation company that supplies water for the irrigation of
approximately 92,600 acres in Otero, Bent, and Prowers counties. The company obtains water from
the Arkansas River through the Ft. Lyon Canal which has senior direct flow water rights, and the Ft.
Lyon Storage Canal which supplies water to Horse Creek and Adobe Creek Reservoirs. The facilities
of the company are shown on Figure 3.1. Topics which are covered in this Chapter include a
description of the system of delivery, water rights, operations, diversion data, estimated yield, share
value, soil characteristics, and a brief description of environmental and wildlife characteristics.

The Ft. Lyon Canal Company is organized pursuant to Colorado statute (C.R.S. 7-42-101). The
company has approximately 93,989 shares of stock outstanding. As a mutual ditch company it has the
power to make contracts and incur binding liabilities to provide water to stockholders based on their
proportion of stock ownership. The operations are financed through stockholder approved
assessments. (Ft. Lyon Canal Company Articles and Bylaws 1991) The company is governed by a five-
person board of stockholder directors who are elected yearly.

The ability of a stockholder to acquire or dispose of his/her shares of stock in the company is subject
to limitations of the company bylaws. Water transfers are required to be approved by the Board of
Directors. Water may be transferred within each of the five operating divisions of the canal company
or to upstream divisions (Ft. Lyon Canal Company Bylaws 1991). Water may not be transferred out
of the ditch or to downstream divisions. Data on the operating divisions are included in Figure 3.1.

Phvsical Svstem

The major facilities of the Ft. Lyon Canal Company system inc\udethe Ft. Lyon Canal, the Ft. Lyon
Storage Canal, Horse Creek Reservoir (also known as Timber Lake) and Adobe Creek Reservoir (also
known as Blue Lake).

The Ft. Lyon Canal headgate is located on the north bank of the Arkansas River about four miles
upstream from La Junta. The canal extends generally east a distance of approximately 100 miles.
Water for Ft. Lyon shareholders is released into 365 headgates distributed along its length (Smith
1993).

The Fort Lyon Canal also diverts the Amity Mutual Irrigation Company's Great Plains reservoir system
water rights at the Fort Lyon headgate. The Great Plains reservoir system consists of Nee Skah
(Queen) Nee Noshe (Standing Water), Nee Grande (Big Water) and Nee So Pah (Black Water)
reservoirs. Queen Reservoir is most commonly referred to by its English name while the others are
commonly referred to by their Indian names. Amity's water is transported in the Fort Lyon Canal 45
miles downstream to the Kickingbird bifurcation. Amity then delivers this water to the Great Plains
reservoir system. As a result of a contract with the Great Plains Water and Storage Company (a
predecessor of Amity) Ft. Lyon also obtains water through Queen Reservoir (Tipton and Kalmbach
1987).

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