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<br />,0 <br /> <br />:r:~ r"\: p l "'j. <br /> <br />"1, <br /> <br />SURFACE FLQWS <br /> <br />~; <br /> <br />.~; <br /> <br />Native surface <br /> <br />flows in the South Platte River basin average about 1,441,000 <br />106 x m3) per year (12). Most of these flows are generat~ <br /> <br /> <br />acre-feet (1,777 x <br /> <br />by snowmel to runoff along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Generally, <br /> <br />the tributary streams entering the SOuth Platte River from the west provide <br /> <br />base flows. Tributaries entering from the plains are intermittent streams <br /> <br />and provide 0 flows following intense rainfall events. <br /> <br />Both native surface flows and imported waters are stored in numerous <br /> <br />reservoirs located in the mountains e.nd in the plains area along the Front <br /> <br />Range. Most of these reservoirs have a large surface area to volume ratios <br /> <br />and with the net evaporation rate of about 3 feet (1 m) per year, major <br /> <br />amounts of 1/'ater are lost through evaporation from storage reservoirs and <br /> <br />streams. <br /> <br />Ground water is used for municipal and industrial uses in communities <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />:::~ <br /> <br />GROUND WATER <br /> <br />~. : <br />'OJ <br />, <br /> <br />along the South Platte River and for agricultural irrigation along the South <br /> <br />:,1 <br /> <br />Platte River and in the plains south of the South Platte River in eastern <br /> <br />Colorado. The acquifers along the South Platte River are recharged by the <br /> <br />surface flows. Acquifers in the plains area of eastern Colorado are recharged <br /> <br />by irrigation infiltration and by rainfall. In general, the plains acquifers <br /> <br />are declining, and the economy of the plains area may have to shift to the <br /> <br />predominance of cattle grazing. <br /> <br />INFLOW-OUTFLOW <br />As mentioned earlier, about 336,000 acre-feet (414 x 106 x m3) of water is <br />diverted into the basin annually and about 304,000 acre-feet (375 x 106 x m3) <br /> <br /> <br />of water lea'Y'es Colorado and enters Nebraska (8). If the authorized Narrows <br /> <br />Reservoir Pro,Ject is constructed near Fort Morgan, the outflow could in some <br /> <br />years be reduced to the volume specified in the Colorado-Nebraska Compact, <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />t!, <br /> <br />