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Section 6 <br />Site-Specific Opportunities and Limitations <br />win projects might be possible through water conservation improvements that <br />protect t11e yield of Uncompallgre water users and even result in an increase u1 a <br />dry year, even if diverting the sanle river headgate volume. <br />Tl1e Redlands Irrigation District calls for and diverts sib ificant quantities of water <br />for hydropower generation to pump water diverted froin the Gurulison River to <br />irrigated acres on the Redlands. Conservation nleasures could potentially reduce <br />the anlount of water required to be pumped, also reducing diversions for <br />hydropower generation. This in turn could result in nlore water available for in- <br />basin water users upstreanl. <br />Colorado <br />^ Grand Valley ditches hold senior rights in the basin and control t11e river at lower <br />flows. Due to inefficiencies in canal control structures, excess water is diverted and <br />then spilled back to tlle river dowllstream of the diversion. Below the diversion is <br />the 15 Mile Reach where there are endangered fishes. Inlprovenlents in the canal <br />structures or on farnl water conservation nleasures could result in leavulg <br />additional water in the river, helping the endangered fislles or making water <br />available for diversion by upstream water users. Additional water made available <br />for upstreanl users, however, would result uz reduced flows through the Colorado <br />basul down to the Grand Valley headgates <br />There have already been several successful improvenlents in c~1al control <br />structures in the Grand Valley area in the Government High Line canal, a Bureau of <br />Reclamation Project. This allows for reduced river diversions without inlpacting <br />deliveries to irrigators. <br />^ Several private ditcll conlpanies u1 fl1e Grand Valley to date have not participated <br />in canal inlprovements. There are no downstream water rights below the <br />diversions, so no Colorado water rights would be injured by reducing return flows. <br />Yampa/White/Green <br />Existing river headgate diversions and irrigation methods used by downstream <br />senior agricultural water rights can impact upstreanl rights by placing a call durulg <br />lower flows. Increased efficiency in diversion and irrigation metllods could result <br />uz a reduced need for river diversions, benefitu~g upstreanl diverters. However, the <br />current nlethods nlay result in providing flow for t11e Steamboat Springs junior <br />recreational in-channel diversion water right. <br />North Platte <br />The North Platte EquitaUle Apportionnlent Decree linlits the anlow~t of irrigated <br />acreage in Colorado. T11e basul is currently below t11at lin~it. There is the potential <br />to irrigate additional acreage or increase yield through water conservation <br />nleasures. <br />DRAFT 6-3 <br />