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Water Supply Reserve Account – Grant Application Form
<br />Form Revised May 200 7
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<br />6 . Water Availability and Sustainability – this information is needed to assess the viability and effectiveness of the water
<br />project or activity . Please provide a description of each water supply source to be utilized for, or the water body to be
<br />affected by, the water activity. For water supply sources being utilized, describe its location, yield, extent of development,
<br />and water right status. For water bodies being affected, describe its location, extent of development, and the expected
<br />effect of the water activity on the water body, in either case, the analysis should take into consideration a reasonable range
<br />of hydrologic variation.
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<br />Water supply sources involved in or affected by the water activity: Platoro Reservoir, Conejos River tributary to the Rio
<br />Grande , and the Rio Grande River. Water bodies affected by the water activity: Surface water rights in priority, Romero
<br />Canal, Guadalupe Mai n Ditch, Confined and Unconfined Aquifer, Rio Grande River, and d ownstream Rio Grande
<br />Compact water users. W ater availability and sustainability are issues which lie at the heart of this project. The water
<br />supply is the Conejos river and the storage facil i ty of Platoro Reservoir. The Conejos River has an annual average flow of
<br />200,000 acre feet. The R io Grande Compact requires an average of 45% of the Conejos’ upper index, includ ing
<br />transportation losses getting the f low to Los Sauces and to the C onejos’ l owe r gauge. At Los Sauces The Romero has a
<br />portion of the following priorities: #1, #5, #23, #34, #136, #168, #66, #115, and #119. When these priorities are fully in
<br />there is a total of 610cfs decreed to the stockholders. The Romero canal is approximately four feet deep and twelve feet
<br />wide at the head gate, and extending for at least a mile beyond. It then shallows to approximately two and a half feet deep
<br />for several miles before branching out into several laterals. The Romero system serves 10,872 acres and has
<br />approximately 800 miles of canals. Immediately upstream of the Romero project is the G uadalupe Main Ditch, with
<br />priority #1, a decreed right of 13.46 cfs, and the Brazos del Norte is priority #139 for 20cfs. It is a smaller system which
<br />irrigates 1 , 800 acres. The two ditches have 17 shareholders. Both systems have a number of small operators, some of
<br />which have had to look elsewhere to make a living income. Sustainability of this entire system depends on completion of
<br />this project.
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<br />7 . Please p rovide a brief narrative of any related or relevant previous studies.
<br />The Conejos Water Conservation District, NRCS, County commissioners, and land owners have known about the
<br />problems on the Conejos system for many years. Consultations have been held wi th the Colorado Division of Water
<br />Resources Division III staff, with the former Division III Engineer, Steve Vandiver, and with the current Division
<br />Engineer, Mike Sullivan. They have urged that these problems be addressed. Conejos Water Conservancy Distri ct
<br />has used NRCS in similar river design projects in the past, including (1) The Freddy Velasquez project on the north
<br />bank of the Conejos at a place known as High Banks; (2) on the south side of the river at the CWCD Project; (3)
<br />on the Richard Montoya pr oject on the San Antonio; (4) on ditch 27 above highway 17 at Mogote; and (5) on the
<br />Aniceto Lucero project on the San Antonio downstream from the town of San Antonio.
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<br />On December 15, 2006, NRCS completed design work for the “ Romero Irrigation Canal Co. Plan for the
<br />Construction of Conejos River Rock Diversion and Streambank Protection .” This plan includes location map,
<br />utilities statement, owners’ statements, Table of Quantities, Aerial photography plan view, rock weir plan views,
<br />J - hook details, rock weir details for the main Conejos River, rock weir details for Heads Mill channel, sluice
<br />structure plans, and an operation and maintenance plan. Engineering drawings are included with this proposal.
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<br />NRCS has recently approved funding and has provided p reliminary (not final) engineering drawings and technical
<br />plans for the Guadalupe Main Ditch in sufficient detail to anticipate the scope of work and related costs for the
<br />Guadalupe portion of this proposal. The final plans and details will be ready in Jul y.
<br />The Colorado Rio Grande Restoration Foundation recently completed the Rio Grande Watershed Restoration
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