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. .1 . ., ';j. t,' HAYDEN DIVERSION PROJECT 1. INTRODUCTION There are bve irrigation ditches that irrigate some 5000 acres of productive hay lands east of the town of Hayden. One of the largest tracts is the well-known 'Carpenter Ranch now owned by the Nature Conservancy. These five ditches divert out of the Yampa River. When the river drops after the run-off during late July below the level of the inverts of the several headgates, diversion becomes impossible. On a yearly basis, the ranchers go into the river with bulldozers or large backhoes to construct from the river substrate temporary dams which back up the water to a level that will permit diversion into their headgates. This practice results in the following adverse impacts: 1.) It impedes fish and vessel passage. 2.) Ranchers are running out of substrate materials with which to build the structures and the time will soon come when it will be impossible to build these diversion dams because the gravel will not be there. 3.) The temporary dams wash out every year during the high run-off flows. 4.) Remnants of these dams make the river seek a wider streambed causing excessive bank erosion. From this short description of the project, the need to eliminate the yearly construction at the temporary diversion structures should be apparent. 2. PROJECT SPONSORS A number of sponsors have banded together to find a solution to the problem outlined above. They are as follows: a.) The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The staffhas provided a preliminary study of the project describing a number of alternatives for its solution. They have agreed to provide detailed engineering. b.) The Ranchers, owners afthe ditches. They will be the direct beneficiaries of the project. They are in the process of forming an Irrigation Company so there will be a legal entity with which to negotiate. b.) The Nature Conservancy (I'NC). TNC, a major landowner, receives a substantial amount of project irrigation water. We are depending on them as a project sponsor. c.) The Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District. The district is the prime mover for the project responsible for the management and arranging the funding. 3. LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA The Hayden Diversion Project is located in the west central part of Routt County in T6N R87W and 88W at an elevation of 6400 feet east of Hayden, Colorado. The watershed consists of5142 acres. Of the total acreage, 288 acres are urbanized land and 4854 acres are irrigated pasture and haymeadows. The southern boundary of the project is US Highway 40 and the Walker Ditch.