LPPD000391

• Contract/PO #: C153715
• Contractor Name: Lower Arkansas Water Management Association
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 67
• County: Prowers
• Bill Number: SB 96-124
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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March 1996 Final

with this report. A total of 2,769.1 acres of land was irrigated land in these parcels in 1985
according to mapping prepared by the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Of this total
area, 1,299.4 acres received additional water from the Lamar Canal, and 755.0 acres received
additional water from the Granada Irrigation Company Canal. This consultant believes that
the practice of supplementing Manvel water with water from the Lamar and Granada Irrigation
Company Canals existed prior to the adoption of the Arkansas River Compact. All but 296.2
acres could originally be irrigated with well water, and 379.7 acres are presently removed
from irrigation.

LAWMA's approach for including this Manvel Canal water in its augmentation program
will be to take credit for the consumptive use that would occur if the diversion facilities were
reconstructed to their full competency. This is appropriate for several reasons. First, the
water right is active and viable, and has been exercised as recently as 1994. The States of
Colorado and Kansas and the Colorado water users recognized the viability of the water right
in 1 983 when the most-recent modification to the 1 980 Operating Plan for John Martin
Reservoir was approved. Second, consumptive use is occurring on these Manvel lands. If the
Manvel Canal diversion facilities were fully operational, the well pumping on the Manvel lands
would be less. The wells, in effect, function as alternate points of diversion for the Manvel
water right. Thus, it is appropriate to apply this Manvel consumptive use water against the
LA WMA well depletions.

As for the X-V water rights, it is appropriate to limit LAWMA credits according to a full
water supply for the lands historically irrigated with the Manvel water rights. The limitations
should, however, consider the water from Lamar and Granada Irrigation Company Canals that
is used on some Manvel lands. An analysis of the water supply for the 1,299.4 acres of
Lamar-Manvel lands showed that the Lamar Canal water was adequate to satisfy about one-
half of the consumptive irrigation requirements. The same type analysis for 755.0 acres of
Manvel-Granada Irrigation Company lands showed that these lands were better watered and
probably did not have significant consumptive use deficits in most years. The full water
supply for the Manvel lands, therefore, was figured for a total of 1,364.4 acres which was
made up of the 714.7 acres that received no other surface water and 649.7 acres (one-half
of 1,299.4 acres) that also received Lamar Canal water.

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