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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />It is felt that 1954 was likely only a drought stage 1 event because of the approximately <br />8,900 AF that was delivered to Lake Canal. The 1977 and 1987 droughts were likely <br />drought stage 2 events. <br /> <br />Note that three of the four droughts are quite similar in the magnitude of the drought and <br />the theorized response, The perception is that these three droughts would have resulted <br />in a triggered response but note that the level of response would not have likely been a <br />significant problem for urban irrigators under the Lake Canal system. Yes, there was <br />need to respond to the conditions but is the drought stage 2 response really a difficult <br />problem to deal with? <br /> <br />The 2002 drought, the critical drought for the Poudre Basin for the 119 years of record, <br />is thought to be a drought stage 4 event. The predicted trigger and the response, a <br />drought stage 4, include mandatory restrictions. Specifically, drought stage 4 would likely <br />require "Residential irrigation limited to 2 days per week by house number. Parks <br />irrigation limited to high use areas and sports fields. Golf course fairways are deficit <br />irrigated." <br /> <br />This drought analysis, specific to the Lake Canal system and specific to the future build <br />out of Lake Canal urban projects would suggest that a secondary supply system under <br />Lake Canal could easily survive the 50 to 100-year drought event and the 300-year <br />drought event, as in 2002, is also a survivable situation. <br /> <br />This analysis can be briefly summarized as follows: <br /> <br />· Analyzing normal stream flow years and Lake Canal diversions shows that there <br />is adequate water for a future build out of urban landscapes. <br /> <br />· Analyzing past drought events in the Poudre Basin and comparing water <br />availability with projected water requirements shows that there would likely be <br />enough water for priority landscapes (public use areas such as sports fields, <br />parks, and golf courses) in the future under even severe drought conditions. <br /> <br />· A concept of triggers and drought responses has been developed for <br />consideration. <br /> <br />· Only the worst year of drought in the written record (2002) would have likely <br />necessitated a drought stage 4 response. <br /> <br />Service Area and Pumtill1g Requirements <br /> <br />Service Area and Irriaated Area <br /> <br />As conceptualized, the pressurized infrastructure pipe system will serve an area of <br />approximately 7,700 acres. This area was determined from the current Lake Canal <br />Company service area as shown in aerial photographs and GIS maps. <br /> <br />Several assumptions were made to determine the water use requirements and overall <br />sizing of the pump stations and pipelines. The first assumption is the actual future <br />irrigated area to be served by the system. The irrigated area is the fraction of total <br /> <br />Aqua Engineering, Inc. <br />June 7, 2004 <br /> <br />Canal Modernization Feasibility Study <br />- 9- <br />