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<br />293:) <br /> <br />-2- <br /> <br />The diversion requirements from the South Platte River would be at least an annual <br />5~,00o A.f. more to adequately take care of the present irrigated acreage. <br /> <br />The opportunity for expansion~ the Riverside Irrigation District is large. <br />The limiting factor is water supply. An examination of the maps show that there is <br />only a fraction of the land below the rliverside Irrigation District canal that is <br />now irrigated. A great deal of this land is not suitable for irrigation because it <br />is too sandy or too rough for irrigation. ,lith moderll larld leveling equipmellt alld <br />the development of practical sprinkling systems, marlY of these acres become suscept- <br />ible to irrigation. The advent of the sprinklillg syst,ems and the availability of <br />electric parrer have made it practical to pump abo~ the Riverside Irrigation Dis- <br />trict canal. h conservative estimate of the increased acreage of land that can be <br />economically and soundly developed below the canal is at least 5000, and by pumping <br />above the canal to reach the very best of lands, another 10,000 acres could be added. <br />With a 2 A.F. per acre annual delivery requirements an additional 30,000 I..F. would <br />be required at the farm for this added acreage. <br /> <br />By the construction of new diversion works and a short ditch just above Masters <br />to shorten the distance from river diversion point to farm delivery so that the <br />intake losses to Riverside Reservoir and the loss in the neservoir itself were by- <br />passed, it might be possible to serve this additional 30,000 A.F. of farm delivery <br />requirements by diverting only another 60,000 A.F. annually from the South Platte <br />River, in addition to the 54,000 f..F. required to adequately irrigate the present <br />irrigated acreage. <br /> <br />The average annual diversion requirements from the South Platte River for the <br />Riverside Irrigation District if adequate water is assured for the present acreage <br />and potential development would then be increased by 114,000 A.F. annually over the <br />past 10 year average. ,,lith minor work here and there the rliverside Irrigation Dis- <br />trict canal could be made to deliver this additional water at little relative expense <br />per acre. The major structure across ',Iildcat creek being more than adequate to carry <br />the increased volume. <br /> <br />The construction of Narrows Reservoir at the proposed site virtually destroys, <br />for all time any hope of expanding the Riverside Irrigation District unless pumping <br />was resorted to from NarTows Jleservoir. Either the cost or unavaiUbility of power <br />might preclude the feasibility of the latter. ;U1 examination of river flows and <br />~ntervening decrees precludes the exchange of any more than just token amounts of <br />~ater upstream to the fiiverside Irrigation District diversion point from the 00uth <br />Platte River. <br /> <br />In view of the above reasons the Riverside Irrigation District is forced to <br />realize that additional storage facilities on the South Platte River would be most <br />desirable if located above the Riverside Irrigation District diversion point and <br />provided that the cost of the stored Ylater was"i thin the economic reach of the ulti- <br />mate user. It is realized also that any additional storage must utiliZe flood flows <br />only. HarlY years in the past 1I1ere have been insufficient river flows to even fill <br />our present storage facilities. <br /> <br />Big <br /> <br />The rtiverside Irrigation District have contracted for a large block of Colorado- <br />Thompson water and hope to benefit from the increa~ed 1'eturn flows. It is fast <br />