PROJC01741 ‎(3)‎

• Contract/PO #: C153768
• Contractor Name: Lower Arkansas Water Management Association
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 67
• County: Bent
• County: Prowers
• Bill Number: SB 96-124
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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of the upper sections of the canal are cut in rock and some sections are lined with concrete.
Two wasteways are located upstream of the Parshall flume and one wasteway is located about
1.5 miles downstream.

There are 3,800 shares of stock outstanding, of which 3,569 shares, or 93.92 percent,
are considered as "sellers" for subsequent discussions. The sellers' lands are grouped in the
lower portion of the irrigation system and the non-sellers' lands are located in the upper portion.
The Consolidated Extension Canal Company (CECC) sold its 200 shares to LAWMA in 1997.
Water was delivered to CECC through a turnout on the Highland Canal about 10 miles down-
ditch from the diversion works. CECC also has water rights on the Arkansas River which are
used through the Las Animas Consolidated Canal.

The Highland Irrigation Company is water short in most years and there are few if any
irrigation wells. Accordingly, the company and shareholders are efficient with the distribution
and use of water. Canal and lateral losses are estimated to be 14.5 percent of the diversion
amount (1990, Boyle). In most cases tail water is collected and reused by the shareholder or is
picked up by the lateral system for use on down gradient fields. The minimum amounts of deep
percolation and tail water were estimated to be 20 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of the
field delivery. The maximum system efficiency (conveyance and farm efficiencies combined)
was estimated to be about 64 percent.

Water Riahts. Table 4 shows pertinent aspects of the three water rights, totaling 62.5 cfs,
associated with the Highland Canal. The Highland Canal is the lowest ditch diverting water
from the Purgatoire River and is affected only by river calls originating from the Arkansas River
in Water District 67. Such calls can occur when conservation storage in John Martin Reservoir
is empty. Priority No. 27 for 16.6 cfs is senior to all the mainstem water rights downstream on
the Arkansas River, and Priority No. 97 for 7.4 cfs is senior to all but 29.25 cfs. Accordingly,
these two water rights, totaling 24.0 cfs, generally are not affected by mainstem river calls.
Priority No. 120 for 38.5 cfs, on the other hand, is junior to about 1,100 cfs of mainstem direct
flow water rights, and is in priority only when there is water in conservation storage.

Diversion Records. The diversion records for the Highland Canal were obtained from the files
of the State Engineer and Division Engineer for 1950 through 1993. The pro rata diversions for
the sellers are summarized in Table 5. The prorata diversions averaged 7,712 acre-feet
annually, and ranged from 2,436 acre-feet in 1964 to 14,367 acre-feet in 1983. Since 1980, the
prorata diversions averaged 9,715 acre-feet annually, about 26 percent greater than for the
longer period. Part of this increase obviously is due to favorable hydrological conditions in the
early 1980's. The diversion records show that the ditch oftentimes diverted water during the
winter months. Such irrigation deliveries were used to increase soil moisture reserves.

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