WSP10371

• File Number: 8111.805
• Description: Arkansas River Compact Administration - Keesee Ditch
• Basin: Arkansas
• Date: 1/1/1986
• Author: HRS Engineering
• Title: Keesee Ditch Change of Water Rights Vol 1 - Historical Operation of Kessee Ditch
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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BROYLES IRRIGATION WELLS

This section is included as a supplement to the analysis of the Keesee Ditch
water rights. Since both surface water and ground water irrigation supplies were
commingled within the ditch distribution system, no particular acreage under
the ditch received water exclusively from either source. As previously discussed,
the analysis of the Keesee Ditch water rights was limited to the stream depletion
associated with the irrigation of a total of 1,400 acres. This section addresses
the role oC the Broyles irrigation wells in supplying water for irrigation of the
remaining acreage under the ditch, and to supplement any shortage in the surface
water supply to the decreed acreage.

A total of up to 10 irrigation wells have been used to provide supplemental
water under the Keesee Ditch system. Included under six water rights designated
as Broyles Well Nos. 1 through 6, the irrigation wells are completed in the Arkansas
River alluvial aquifer and are used to pump ground water directly into the Keesee
Ditch distribution system. Plate 1 indicates the locations of the Broyles wells.

The water rights for the Broyles wells are complex and have been the subject
of three Water Court proceedings (Case Nos. W-2695, 79CW73 and 83CW73) Q
and two Colorado Supreme Court ruling (Broyles vs. Fort Lyon Canal Company
1981 and 1985). Most of the legal issues concern the conditional pumping rates
originally given to the wells in Case W-2695 and the status of various wells as
original, replacement and alternate points of diversion. Since some of these
issues are still in question, the water rights are listed in Table IX as originally
decreed in Case W-2695. Copies of the decree and referee ruling are included
in Appendix D.

As a means of estimating the depletive effects of operation of the Broyles
wells, a combined water budget analysis incorporating both surface water and
ground water supplies and the total irrigated acreage was performed. Keesee
Ditch stream depletions associated with the 1,400 acres were then subtracted
from the combined analysis depletions to provide estimates of the well effects.
In this way, the wells effects were determined not only for the additional 500
acres but also in terms of supplementing any shortfall in the ditch supply.

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