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<br />I <br />I. <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />Ie <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />Ie <br />I <br /> <br />2758 <br /> <br />9. WATER RIGHT . Clear Creek Reservoir and the Ewing, Wurtz and Columbine <br />Transmountain Ditches (Otero County) <br /> <br />CASE NUMBER - pending (Water Division 2) <br /> <br />TOTAL ACRES - 14,000 - 16,000 <br /> <br />TOTAL MOVED - The system provided supplemental water to the Otero Ditch shareholders. <br />The Otero received Town Ditch native water to replace the loss of this system. <br /> <br />% MOVED - 100% of the Transmountain water <br /> <br />ACREAGE DRIED UP TO DATE - 9000 acres - partly due to loss of trans mountain water and <br />partly due to physical constraints of ditch, and partly due to City of Rocky Ford suburban growth. <br /> <br />FROM - Otero Ditch shareholders <br /> <br />TO - Pueblo Board of Water Works <br /> <br />DATE - 1955 <br /> <br />PRICE - $3.4 million for the Reservoir and 3800 ac ft of average annual yield (based on <br />1988-1992) from the transmountain system. A 1985 estimate of transmountain yield was 5800 ac. <br />yr. avg. [Abbott, 1985] <br /> <br />DECREED TERMS AND CONDITIONS. <br /> <br />AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS - This sale reduced the amount of water available for crop <br />production under the Otero Canal and changed the cropping patterns to less valuable feed crops. <br />In addition, it reduced assured irrigation water supply and in periods of limited water existed under <br />the Otero Canal. <br /> <br />SOCIAL IMPACTS - Some limited areas have been impacted by changes to residential <br />properties in the Rocky Ford and LaJunta areas. The balance has been the lack of revegetation on <br />the land no longer farmed and the negative impacts on the immediate area. <br /> <br />ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS - The majority of the area no longer farmed has not been <br />properly revegetated and the result is noxious weeds and blowing dust in and around those areas. <br />This has helped the growth and development of the City of Pueblo and will contribute to the <br />problems associated with a city environment including the pollution found therein. <br /> <br />COMMENTS - The Otero Ditch opted not to participate in the Pueblo Winter Storage <br />program and continues to winter irrigate. <br />The purchase was facilitated by another water transfer. Pueblo bought the Town Ditch near <br />Las Animas and transferred it to the Otero in partial payment of the Clear Creek and transmountain <br />system purchase. <br />Information from Frank Milenski, President Catlin Canal Company, 11/24/92 and from Bud <br />O'Hara, Water Resources Division Manager, Pueblo Board of Water Works, 11/23/92; research by <br />Kevin Pratt; impacts by Bill Milenski. <br /> <br />A2-14 <br />