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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Water from Red Mesa Reservoir is released and distributed in three ditches: Joe Freed Ditch, Warren V ossburg Ditch, and the Revival Ditch. 2,600 acres of land is served by these three ditches consisting of about 1,000 acres of irrigated cropland, 1,000 acres of non-irrigated cropland, and 600 acres of range land. These ditches divert water directly from the LaPlata River when there is water and they are in priority; depending upon the water availability up to 1,500 acres is irrigated in the early season. There is not adequate water to serve 1,500 acres of supplemental water from Red Mesa Reservoir so in anyone year about I, 140 acres is served from the reservoir; however, the actual 1 ,140 acres changes each year. Most of the crops are alfalfa with some irrigated pasture and corn silage. Alfalfa is a very good cash crop bringing $100 to $120 per ton. The alfalfa is very high quality and is being shipped to New Mexico and Arizona, and in some cases to Florida, for race horses and dairies. Depending on the water availability, the production ranges from 3 to 6 tons per acre. Many of the irrigators in the area are installing pipelines and sprinkler irrigation systems to maximize the water conveyance and application efficiency. When using ditch irrigation, only about 40% of the water released from the reservoir is available for consumptive use by the crops due to losses in the ditch conveyance system. Many farmers are installing buried pipelines to replace a mile or two of the conveyance ditches which decreases the conveyance losses and produces gravity pressure for operation of sprinkler systems (side roll systems). The pipeline and sprinklers increase the conveyance and application efficiency from about 40% to about 70%, essentially doubling the irrigation supply. In 1995, about 640 acres had converted to sprinklers. The lands served by the Red Mesa Reservoir are included in the proposed Animas-LaPlata Project (ALP) to be provided a full water supply under pressure, to be constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation. Current modifications to the ALP proposed by Secretary of Interior Babbitt in 1998 known as "ultra lite" would preclude any irrigation; therefore, at the present time ALP would not serve the lands that are irrigated from Red Mesa Reservoir. 6.0 Water Demands The enlarged Red Mesa Reservoir would provide irrigation and domestic water. The irrigation water would most likely be used by lands that have historically been served from the reservoir, but the Company does not have restrictions that would preclude use on lands outside of the historic area; these lands could be served directly or by exchange. The domestic water could be provided as augmentation water for wells, exchange water for diversions made upstream of the reservoir, or direct supply to a rural water distribution system. 10