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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />planning a major irrigation project north of the river that <br />would be seriously affected by OMIO's senior rights. As a <br />condition for granting the right-of-way across Federal land, <br />the United states got OMIO to agree to share shortages <br />(effectively subordinating its senior rights) and to provide a <br />means of returning the power plant tailrace water to the <br />Colorado River above the senior GVIC diversion. Before the <br />Grand Valley Project was completed, the OMIO system and <br />management had been absorbed and was functioning as part of <br />the larger project. <br /> <br />Because there was no stored water to augment <br />late-season flows at Cameo before Green Mountain Reservoir was <br />built in 1943, operators of the Grand Valley Project needed to <br />protect themselves against calls by the senior GVIC right of <br />520 cfs or risk being short of water in most years. The <br />"check" structure and bypass channel (Figure 2) allowed re-use <br />of the power plant and pumping plant tailrace water by <br />transporting it back upstream to a point just above the GVIC <br />diversion. This allowed continued service to the Highline <br />Canal and Orchard Mesa Canals until river flows were <br />insufficient to satisfy all the irrigation demands. The OMIO <br />power plant could continue to operate under shortage <br />conditions by diverting the full GVIC share at the Grand <br />Valley Project Dam and returning it to the river just upstream <br />from the demand point. The United states, GVWUA, and OMIO <br />agreed to this method of operating for their mutual benefit, <br />but did not address any need to use the "check" for other <br />purposes. <br /> <br />After the construction of Green Mountain Reservoir, <br />additional water was available for irrigation use on the West <br />Slope. Water from Green Mountain was released whenever <br />natural west slope water supplies were insufficient to cover <br />the major demands at Ootsero and Cameo." Transmountain <br />diversions were forced to use replacement sources if they <br />continued to divert, and the Division Engineer would make sure <br />the "check" was installed before releasing anything from Green <br />Mountain Reservoir. By using the "check" to take care of a <br />shortage to the 120-cfs junior right of GVIC (the most junior <br />part of the Cameo Call), less water was needed from Green <br />Mountain, and full administration of the river could be <br />avoided. This river administration policy continued despite <br />the objections of GVWUA and OMIO, who maintained that their <br />agreement for operating the "check" was private and carried no <br />responsibility to serve junior rights. <br /> <br />- 8 - <br />