11e

• Board Meeting Date: 1/22/2008
• Description: CF Section – Construction Fund and Severance Tax Trust Fund Perpetual Base Account – New Loans - Bijou Irrigation District - Empire Reservoir East Embankment Dam Repair
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
wuu-. c~vcb. state. co. us
TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board Members
FROM: Anna Mauss, P.E.
Mike Serlet, P.E., Chief
Water Supply Planning and Finance Section
DATE: January 14, 2008
Bill Ritter, Jr
Governor
Harris D. Sherman
DNR Executive Director
Jennifer L. Gimbel
cwcB Director
Dan McAuliffe
CWCB Deputy Director
SUBJECT: Agenda Item lle, January 22-23, 2008 Board Meeting
Water Supply Planning and Finance Section - Ne~v Project Loans
Bijou L•rigation District -Empire Res. East Embankment Dam Repair
Introduction
The Bijou Irrigation District (District) is applying fora $2,385,000 loan from the CWCB to
rehabilitate the Empire Reservoir along the east embankment of the dam where significant wave
erosion caused damage. Because of this damage, the dam was put on a fill restriction to a gauge
height (GH) of 29.0 feet. The estimated total cost of the project is $2,650,000. See the attached
Project Data Sheet for a location map and project summary.
Background
The District owns and operates Empire Reservoir located west of Fort Morgan in Weld and
Morgan Counties, between I-76 on the south and US Highway 34 on the north. The District
provides irrigation water to a 19,200-acre service area in Morgan County, located between the
reservoir and the City of Fort Morgan. The District is a taxing district that levies a tax per acre
based on benefits received, not an ad valor•e~n property tax. The irrigation water is primarily
used to grow corn (approx. 70%) and hay (approx 20%). Water stored in the reservoir is
delivered to users through a sister company, Bijou Irrigation Company (Company), which
operates and maintains the distribution system, used for either direct irrigation or exchanges.
The Company has direct flow rights at the Bijou Canal diversion on the South Platte, and
maintains about 90 miles of ditch, Bijou No. 2 Reservoir, and some augmentation ponds.
Empire Reservoir is used to supplement the direct flows, typically in April through September.
Annual delivery from the reservoir is about 19,900 acre-feet. The proposed loan for Empire
Reservoir is to the District and does not involve the Company.
Water Supply Protection • Watershed Protection & Flood bTitigation • Stream & Lake Protection • Water Supply Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate Water Management & Development