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C!j <0 ~ ..... , been able to mature from the larger water supplies available during the early '-months of the growing season. There have been about 23,400 acres, or 38 percent of the area with an irrigation supply reasonably adequate to meet all requirements. Of these, about 6,500 acres are located in the valley of the Gunnison River near Delia, below the confluence with the North Fork where a surplus of water is always available. The remaining 16,900 acres are distributed throughout the area and hold early water rights that ensure adequate deliveries to meet their needs. About 11,000 acres of these lands are in the Surface Creek-Cedaredge area and obtain their water supplies from streams or~ginating on Grand Mesa and largely regulated by the many small lakes and reservoirs on the Mesa. The present water resources of the Grand Mesa, however, are essentially fully developed in the Currant Creek Surface Creek-George Creek basin and any substantial improvements in the irri- gation water supplies to the remaining lands in this area will depend on the completion of the proposed Grand Mesa project, which is discussed in a succeeding section of this report. Net consumptive use by crops in the North Fork subbasin has been estimated by the Blaney-Criddle procedures, using local climatological data for the 1943-60 study period, and average crop acreage distribution for the various parts of the subbasin, with appropriate adjustments in areas of short-water supplies. Consumptive use by riparian vegetation, nonbeneficial phreatophytes, seeped lands and other water using areas incidental to use and development of the lands has been estimated by the same procedures for the acreages estimated from the generalized soil and associatep vegetation inventory and other available sources. Exports for municipal and industrial purposes were tabulated from the records of the town of Delta. Evaporation from lakes and reservoirs was bas!"d on a lake/pan coefficient of .72 applied to estimated pan evaporation adjusted by elevations. Estimates of present consumptive water use in the subbasin are summarized in table 23. Table 23.- Present water use, North Fork Subbasin, 1943-60 average Net crop consumptive use 1/ 77,583 acre-feet Riparian vegetation, nonbeneficial phreatophytes, seeped lands and incidental areas 17,173 acre-feet Municipal, domestic and livestock use, reservoir evaporation and recreation 6,014 acre-feet Total 1) 100,770 acre-feet 1/ 61,900 acres. I/ Does not include 2,000 acre-feet exported to city of Delta, which is included as M & I use in Uncompahgre subbasin. - 62 -