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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 022.0 Issues of on-farm water supply are: water may be delivered at different times, for different periods, and at different rates; some irrigators may have been supplied by subirrigation, waste flows off fields, or wells drawing from a water table created by seepage and historic irrigation, and will need to change their method of obtaining water; the ease of moving water among fields may change; stock watering from stock ponds or streams fed by return flows may be affected; weed infestation may increase the necessary ditch cleaning and may increase winter ice in the canals; blowing dust from barren fields may adversely affect the health of livestock; weed infestation and dust on dried up lands may require more intense cultivation on irrigated lands; revegetation with continued watering may be required. These issues are addressed by engineering analysis, application of agronomy and soil science, and improvements in farm operations, and may be the subjects of water court decree terms and conditions. Irrigators feel financial effects. A variety of irrigators' property rights in land and water may be affected. Undue restrictions on transfers may infringe on the private property rights of individual water rights holders and reduce the value of their rights. Land and water values may change. A completed transfer may reduce the value of remaining land and water if water court decree conditions have not protected a'llainst depletions of water supply, or increased operating difficulties or costs; on the other hand, the transfer may make the remaining land and water more valuable to persons desiring to continue irrigating in the area or to other outside purchasers who will benefit from the precedents established by the initial transfer. Costs of ditch or lateral operation may rise or fall; costs of other water delivery may change (such as well pumping costs); costs of farming (e.g. herbicide application) may increase where adjacent land is revegetated or abandoned. 2. Ft. Lyon Canal Company operations and finances Ditch companies are generally mutual enterprises to divert and distribute water at a shared cost. Transfers will create change and can also create imbalances and inequities; maintenance requirements for laterals and the main canal may change; costs of operations and administration may change; control of the corporation (and its operating agents such as ditch superintendents and ditch riders) and control of lateral operating groups may change, delivery of water may require changes in structures such as headgates, wasteways, flumes, checks, and lateral headgates, with new or increased expenses; and operating contracts and agreements may be altered due to changes in flow regimen. Sluicing operations when sediments are washed from the ditch may be impaired, resulting in reduction in capacity. New management responsibilities may be introduced: use and management of revegetated lands needs to be addressed; fencing and stock water will be needed where livestock grazing is planned. Non-selling shareholders often desire to participate in water transfer court proceedings, or in negotiations with purchasers to assure protection. Legal proceedings involve the expenses of hiring and managing experts, including hydrologists, agronomists, and attorneys. Proposed water transfers 2-7