Southwest - Jackson Gulch Reservoir Expansion Project_Statewide Water Activity Summary

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This project concept is endorsed by the following organizations which represent irrigation water and M& I water users in the Valley and many landowners along the river: The Mancos Valley Beaver Ditch Company, the Henry Bolen Ditch Company, The Number Six Ditch Company, the Sheek Ditch Company, the Weber Ditch Company, the Root and Ratliff Ditch Company, the Carpenter / Mitchell ditch company, and the Town of Mancos. The District will actively pursue contributions and matching funds from outside sources, including from the Bureau of Reclamation, for the project after feasibility studies are available to provide specific definition of the facilities, costs and schedules. Discussion: While the Applicant describes in detail the changing demographics of the Mancos basin and how the demands for water resources are in ever-growing demand, it is somewhat unclear how the Borrow Pit Study (and its final construction) will meet these demands. As stated prior, the Southwest Basin Roundtable and the CWCB approved the feasibility study for the Jackson Gulch Dam enlargement in the amount of $80,000 from the Basin Account. If implemented, that project would provide an approximate 2,000 additional acre- feet. From the application, it is unclear how this project (Borrow Pit) relates to the dam enlargement, how much water is expected to be yielded, if there is sufficient legally available water to construct an additional reservoir in the basin and if there is sufficient demand to support another reservoir. As discussed at the July 2007 meeting, CWCB staff encourages the Applicant to pursue funding additional funding sources for this project. Since the Jackson Gulch Reservoir is a Bureau of Reclamation project, it is unfortunate that the Bureau is not providing any matching funds for this project. The Applicant is encouraged to work with the Bureau to seek additional funding sources for future phases of this project. It should also be noted, a letter was received from Larry T. Wiese, Superintendent of the Mesa Verde National Park. In this letter, Mr. Wiese clarified that the park’s had only expressed the explicit endorsement of the canal rehabilitation and was unaware of the desire for an enlargement of Jackson Gulch Reservoir. The park believes that a feasibility study is warranted and that this study should address water availability within the basin, how an enlargement will effect the riverine environment and how it will affect the park’s reserved instream flow water right on the Mancos River. - 3 -