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<br />Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant Application Form <br /> <br />Form Revised October 2006 <br /> <br />Application Question B7: <br />Water Availability and Sustainability <br /> <br />Missouri Heights is located on a broad mesa above the Roaring Fork River, near Carbondale, <br />Colorado. Historically, water use on Missouri Heights has been primarily for agricultural use, <br />including irrigation and stock watering. A rise in housing density associated with subdividing <br />historic ranches has led to increased water demand. This demand has been met by reallocating <br />historic supply sources and developing new wells, thereby increasing ground water withdrawals. <br />The increased ground water withdrawals have primarily been used for domestic purposes, <br />including lawn and garden irrigation. New water rights applications for Junior wells on Missouri <br />Heights have proved to be very contentious. Owners of existing, Senior water rights are <br />concerned that new wells will deplete the ground water table. <br /> <br />Ground water withdrawals from Missouri Heights influence several water supply sources. A <br />portion of Missouri Heights ground and surface water is tributary to Cattle Creek, a tributary of the <br />Roaring Fork River. While Cattle Creek is a healthy, perennial stream, it has been the subject of <br />extensive development and is considered over-appropriated by the Division Engineer. The <br />remaining ground and surface water on Missouri Heights is directly tributary to the Roaring Fork <br />River. Similar to Cattle Creek, the Roaring Fork River is extensively developed and considered <br />over-approriated. Junior ground water rights appropriated in the Missouri Heights Aquifer and <br />tributary to either of these basins must be fully augmented. New water rights are subject to local <br />administrative calls and regional administrative calls from the Cameo Water Rights on the Lower <br />Colorado River. <br /> <br />Phase II of the Ground Water Monitoring Program will assess the physical availability of water in <br />the Missouri Heights aquifer. Additionally, it will evaluate the ability of the aquifer to sustain <br />continued groundwater development. The Phase II report will provide a sound technical basis for <br />evaluating how new appropriations may influence vested, Senior water rights in the Missouri <br />Heights Aquifer, Cattle Creek, the Roaring Fork River, and the Colorado River. The report may be <br />used by existing water rights holders, new water right holders, and the Division of Water <br />Resources. <br /> <br />17 <br />