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<br />~I' v', <br /> <br />4IlEGAL AND PHYSICAL WATER AVAIL~LITY <br />BEAR CREEK LAKE <br /> <br />I~ <br />I -- uu uuh <br /> <br />Introduction <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Bear Creek Lake was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers on Bear <br /> <br /> <br />Creek just under its confluence with Turkey Creek. This reservoir was <br /> <br /> <br />built for flood-control purposes as one component of the South Platte River <br /> <br /> <br />flood-control system that includes Cheery Creek and Chatfield reservoirs. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />In early 1983 Central Colorado Water Conservancy District approached <br /> <br /> <br />the Corps for storage space in the reservoir for irrigation and augmenta- <br /> <br /> <br />tion uses. The outcome of these discussions immediately raised the ques- <br /> <br /> <br />tion of physical and legal water availability at the reservoir. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />The analysis which was completed to answer this question and the <br />findings of the investigation are described below. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />Data Compilation and Analysis <br /> <br />Water availability for storage in Bear Creek Lake was analyzed in <br /> <br /> <br />light of hydrologic and call records of a consecutive 21-year period <br /> <br /> <br />from October 1960 through September 1981. Daily river-flow records were ~ <br /> <br /> <br />collected over this period for the river-flow station of "Bear Creek at <br /> <br /> <br />Mouth" at Sheridan, Colorado (6-7115). These data are published annually- <br /> <br /> <br />by the u.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and were used in this investigation. <br /> <br />The call records showing dates when various senior water rights <br /> <br /> <br />requested regulation of junior water rights were obtained from the Division <br /> <br /> <br />Engineer's office for Water Division 1 (South Platte Basin). These records <br /> <br /> <br />show the various calls for water by senior water rights and show the <br /> <br /> <br />affected river reaches above the caller's headgate (by Water Districts, in <br /> <br /> <br />tabular form). Similarly, time periods when there were no demands for <br /> <br /> <br />water are also indicated in these records. <br /> <br />In the analysis the call records were used as a mask on the daily <br /> <br /> <br />runoff data to identify the time periods when "free river" conditions <br /> <br /> <br />existed. Daily runoffs recorded during these periods were then accumulated <br /> <br /> <br />within calendar months over the 21-year study period. <br /> <br />RESOURCE: CON~ULT~NT~ INC <br /> <br />1 <br />