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<br />would be if Red Mesa-Ward Reservoir were to be expanded and Reclamation was to have the <br />water stored for delivery in the dryer parts of the year or stored in wet years for delivery in dryer <br />years. Moving Reclamation's water rights into storage in the Red Mesa-Ward Reservoir would <br />require a change in the point of diversion under Colorado law and may also require cost sharing <br />in the construction of the reservoir expansion project, the costs of which have not been quantified <br />to date. <br /> <br />Optimally, these water rights, either one or both, could be dedicated to the Colorado Water <br />Conservation Board (CWCB) for a dedicated instream flow through the MA. This type of <br />dedicated instream flow protection is preferable to an adjudicated (new) instream flow protection <br />water right because there is dedicated water for the instream flow. <br /> <br />In addition to reservoir releases to the three ditches contributing return flows to the MA (Joseph <br />freed Ditch, Revival Ditch and the Warren Vosburg Ditch), the enlargement of Red Mesa-Ward <br />Reservoir could allow the release of some of the additional stored water to meet Colorado's <br />obligation to New Mexico under the La Plata River Compact (Appendix D). Such releases of . <br />water from the reservoir would provide flows through the MA during the growing season. It <br />would also be recommended that a CWCB dedicated instream flow be obtained to protect <br />releases from Red Mesa-Ward Reservoir of water to meet Colorado's Compact obligations to <br />New Mexico. <br /> <br />By providing the water rights to a dedicated instream flow protection, Reclamation could <br />provide 'wet' water rights for the MA in perpetuity without potential to harm the other water <br />users ofthe system. <br /> <br />3.2.3.4 Purchase Water In Long Hollow <br /> <br />There is the option of purchasing water in Long Hollow Reservoir to be released as needed for <br />the MA. <br /> <br />3.2.3.5 Native Vegetation and Water Conservation <br /> <br />Reclamation, in removing the non-native tree species from the MA and encouraging the native <br />species, will effectively reduce evapotranspiration (water cycling to the air from heat and active <br />transport by plants), thus leaving more water in the system. Non-native plant species (tamarisk <br />and Russian olive) are known to transpire many times more water than native plants. Channel <br />restoration would effectively narrow and deepen the river channel and would encourage <br />overshadowing vegetation, thus reducing evaporation. <br /> <br />-34- <br />