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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Irrigation Water Supply Water District 67 diversion records for the Keesee Ditch were obtained from the Office of the State Engineer. Table V lists monthly diversions by the ditch. The average.'annual diversion for the study period was 4,945 acre-feet. The ditch seniority is apparent in the monthly pattern of diversions, which indicates a consistent and uninterrupted supply for the entire April to October growing season. Additional water was also commonly diverted in November, December and March for the buildup of soil moisture. .'o/'.y.f,. ,;.Y"' D '" o.J< .~ I'-" I):;e>' ;.0 Not all of the water diverted at the ditch headgate is available for use by crops. A portion of the diversions are lost through ditch seepage, deep percolation in the fields, and evapotranspiration throughout the delivery system. For the Keesee Ditch, evapotranspiration losses within the distribution system were considered minimal due to the limited size and length of the ditch. The efficiency of the irrigation system to deliver water for use by the crops is a function of the length and design of the ditch, the ditch construction materials, soils and geologic materials underlying the ditch and fields, the topography of the lands irrigated, the field irrigation methods used, and the pattern of diversions. Based on an evaluation of these components, the delivery efficiency of the Keesee Ditch was estimated to be high, due to nearly optimum conditions throughout r the irrigation:system. Compared to most of the ditches along the Arkansas River, the distance from the river headgate to the fields is short for the Keesee Ditch, with a maximum distance to any point within the system of only about seven miles. Based on the distribution of soils along the ditch as determined from the Bent County Soil Survey (D. S. Soil Conservany Service, 1971), a low to moderate rate of ditch seepage would be expected. Once water is delivered to the fields, the field efficiency would also be high. According to the Colorado Irrigation Guide (D. S. Conservation Service, 1979) the combination of mostly clay loam soils, nearly level field conditions, and predominant use of level border irrigation methods would produce field efficiencies of 75 to 80 percent. Combined with the low seepage losses along the ditch, the overall efficiency of delivery for the irrigation system was estimated ~ to be about 70 percent. -11- -;;