WSP12524

• File Number: 8210.320
• Description: Colorado River Basin Organizations-Entities - Southwestern Water Conservation District
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 7/1/1998
• Author: Southwestern Water Conservation District
• Title: Southwestern Water Conservation District-SWCD - Water Information Program-WIP - Water Letter 1998-2004 - Volume III-Issue III through Volume IX-Issue VII - 07-01-98 through 10-01-04
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

000210
Wedtern La Plata County Water
Management and COlUervation Plan

The ability of the water resources of Western La Plata
County to meet the needs of the community has
increasingly become a concern to the local community.
In order to address the area's potential for improved water
resource management, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
and the Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District
initiated a cooperative effort to help Western La Plata
County develop and implement a cost-effective,
comprehensive water management plan. The Bureau of
Reclamation defines good water management as
"having adequate supplies of good quality water for all
municipal, industrial, agricultural, recreational, and
environmental needs."

With this concept in mind, the Western La Plata County
Water Management and Conservation Plan analyzes the
water resources of the area and presented measures
intended to improve both the efficiency of water use and
the availability of water supplies in Western La Plata
County. Findings of the Plan were as follows: 1) Water
available for agriculture, even during a wet year, is not
adequate to meet crop requirements for the number of
acres assigned to ditches that were evaluated. Late season
irrigation water is usually even less adequate. 2) Existing
domestic water supplies are commonly inadequate in
many areas in terms of both quantity and quality, and
will be inadequate to provide for anticipated future

growth. 3) The nature of the La Plata River and the La
Plata River Compact create a difficult stream
administration situation that results in surplus deliveries
of water to New Mexico. Analysis of Colorado Division
of Water Resources' compact reports indicates that
over-delivery of water to New Mexico exceeds
10,000 acre-feet (AF) in a close-to-average year
of streamflow.

Several potential water management measures were
identified to address the issues listed above, including
installing water measurement devices in existing ditches,
promoting water conservation, installing an additional
gaging station on the La Plata River, conducting a
feasibility study for developing a rural domestic water
system, and constructing regulatory reservoirs. To
facilitate the implementation of measures included in
the Plan, the Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy
District has initiated the process of hiring a water
management coordinator.

The Plan will serve as the cornerstone of the District's
water management program and is a testimony to the
District's commitment to efficient water resources
management. For more information on the Plan, contact
the District office, [phone]. t

Surface Water Supply Index for ColoradO

The Surface Water Supply Index (SWSI) developed by the Office of the State Engineer
and the U. S. D. A. Natural Resources Conservation Service is used as an indicator of
mountain-based water supply conditions in
the major river basins of the state. It is
currently based on reservoir storage and
precipitation as of September I. t

Major River
----.r-

Basin Boundary
,--

SWSI Value
D

sCALE
+4 Abundant Suppl)'
+2 Above Normal Supply
o Near Normal Supply
-2 Moderate Drought
-4 Severe Drought

Did You Know?

What is drought? Drought is a concept that
is both simple and complex. Drought is a
shortage of water, usually associated with a
deficiency of precipitation. Drought occurs
when the demand for water exceeds the
supply of water.

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