PROJ01952 ‎(2)‎

• Contract/PO #: C150131
• Contractor Name: Paonia, Town of
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 0
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

In 1994, Minion Hydrologic performed an initial raw water supply study for the
Town of Paonia. The study included preliminary review and analysis of Paonia's water
rights information and distribution system, existing spring diversion data, and the Town
supplied water use records. The appendices of the report compiled the relevant state
diversion records, reservoir storage reports, water diversion reports, and the SEO Water
Rights Alpha list. In addition, the report included discussions with John Norris, Town
Manager, and Merritt Denison, the District 40 Water Commissioner. The report
recommended that the Town perform additional water rights evaluations, collect more
data, consider pursuing additional storage sites, and drill a well to provide an alternate
point of diversion.

In July of 1999, GEl Consultants, Inc. (GEl) was commissioned to prepare a
comprehensive water supply study for the Town. A $10,000 grant was provided for
the CWCS that would be paid to the Town when the final study was approved by the
CWCS, A draft of the CWCS study was prepared by GEl in April of :2000. The GEl
study included an evaluation of three different future water demand projections and an
evaluation of the Town's firm yield that would occur in dry years. The Draft 2000
Study concluded that the Town had a significant amount of standby taps that had the
potential to severely stress the Paonia's water supply system in dry years if all of the
taps were developed. Another key conclusion of the Draft 2000 study was that the
Town currently spills large quantities of water from its system and that i'f this spill water
could be stored, the firm yield of the Town's system could be dramatically improved.
The study evaluated several storage options for the Town. Storage alternatives that
were developed in the Draft 2000 Study are summarized below.

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