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<br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />To: <br /> <br />Gene Weglinsky, Tetra Tech <br />Tom Browning, eWeB Plood Section Chief <br />Joe Busto, ewcs Flood Section <br />Frank Eckhardt, President. Western Mutual Ditch Company <br />Tuesday, November] 6, 2005 <br />Chatfield No Action Altemative Comments <br /> <br />From: <br />Date: <br />Re: <br /> <br />Introduction <br />The reason for this memorandum is to answer the question <<What will the Western Mutual <br />Ditch Company (WMDC) do if Chatfield storage space is not made available?" The WMDC <br />is seeking the extra storage to enhance theirs water supply for well augmentation. water rights <br />mitigation and other multi-purpose uses in the South Platte River Basin. <br /> <br />WMDC PUrDose <br />The primary service of the W1v1DC is to provide a water supply to the shareholders of the <br />Mutual Ditch Company. The ditch company is made up of 800 shares, in which each share <br />delivers about 25 Acre Feet per share in an average year. <br /> <br />Benefits from Chatfield Stora2e Soace <br />. The W1vIDC has a senior right to water in the South Platte Basin. In the spring time <br />they do not have a storage facility to fully utilize their water right Chatfield storage is <br />the least cost option to capture and better utilize their senior water right. <br />. Potential uses of the Chatfield storage would be: Well augmentation, water rights <br />mitigation, or other multi-purpose uses that would help the South Platte Basin with <br />future water needs. <br />. South Platte water users below the metro area need to plan for the future because <br />metro area cities are currently not reusing their efl1uent. As they develop ways to <br />make use of that water, South Platte River flows will dramatically decrease. Storage in <br />Chatfield will help offset the impact of the declining flow ofthe South Platte. <br />. Chatfield storage could be used for augmentation of wells within the WMDe~ if an <br />augmentation source can be obtained to ensure the pumping of these wells. Chatfield <br />would help prevent many lands from turning into dryland. There will be a substantial <br />negative impact on the wildlife habitat in the area with more land being dried up. <br />. Acquiring storage in Chatfield would help the economies of the small towns of <br />Platteville, Gilcrest, and La Sane which rely beavily on agriculture that exists because <br />of the WMDC. Chatfield space will help the continued viability and economies in <br />these towns. <br /> <br />Description of Other Alternatives that Achieve Equivalent Benefits <br />. If Chatfield Storage space isn't made available then wrvIDC could pursue gravel pit <br />storage. However. it is diffieult to plan for this because ohhe following reasons: <br />most of the current gravel pit storage is spoken for, there are many entities competing <br />for the remaining storage space (all with much greater financial resources than the <br />