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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Water Rights <br />The ditch has four adjudicated water rights of varying seniority on Elkhead Creek and a long <br />history of diversions. Records of the Water Division 6 Engineer's Office indicate that the <br />average annual diversion over 63 years amounted to about 1,200 acre-feet. <br /> <br />Proposed Proiect <br />The proposed project involves replacing the existing divension structure with a new 50-foot wide <br />structure located two hundred feet downstream of the existing diversion. Design of the structure <br />is being completed by the Routt County Office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. <br />The new structure will allow the use of the existing Smith Ditch headgate and full use of the <br />decreed water rights. The Corps of Engineers has determined that the new diversion structure is <br />exempt from regulation under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and does not require a permit. <br /> <br />Economic Analysis <br />The CWCB staff has performed a brief economic analysis of the proposed project. That analysis <br />indicated that annual benefits exceed project costs by about $17,000 per year based on the value <br />of the irrigated crops. Other benefits which could be expected from the project but which were <br />not quantified are a potential reduction in erosion ofthe stream channel due to the new divension <br />structure and the absence of temporary diversion structures in the channel. <br /> <br />Institutional Arrangements <br />A number of different entities are or may be involved in the design, construction, and financing <br />of the project. They include, in addition to the Smith Ditch Corporation: <br /> <br />Colorado River Water Conservation District (CRWCD); financing, <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB); feasibility, financing, and construction, <br /> <br />Farm Service Agency (FSA), Agricultural Conservation Program; financing, <br /> <br />Natural Resources Conservation Service(NRCS); design and construction, and <br /> <br />Upper Yarnpa Water Conservancy District (UYWCD); administration, feasibility, <br />financing, and construction. <br /> <br />The Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District will be the lead agency for the financing, design, <br />and construction of the project. <br /> <br />Proiect Funding <br />The total cost of the project is estimated at $ 183,000. Funding will be provided by grants from <br />several entities and, if approved by the Board, a loan from the Small Project Loan Account. <br />Contemplated funding arrangements are as follows: <br /> <br />2 <br />