PROJ01952 ‎(2)‎

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

Water RiQhts

The Town's water supply system and water rights includes a complex network
of natural springs, raw and treated water transmission lines, treatment plants, treated
water storage, reservoir storage, and a metered distribution system. Figure 2 shows
the location of the springs and pipelines in Paonia's collection system and Figure 3 is a
schematic of the collection system that illustrates the relationship of water rights and
transmission and storage features.

The Town's water system is divided into two separate systems that essentially
operate independently from each other. The lower system serves most of the residents
who reside within the Town limits and the upper system serves most of the private
pipeline companies, out-of-town customers, and the newer subdivisions located at
higher elevations within the Town. Each system has its own treatment plant, treated
water storage, transmission and distribution system, and water supply springs. There is
a 2-inch-diameter pipeline that can be used to feed water from the upper system to the
lower system. During emergencies, the lower system can also be used to supply water
to the upper system, but at reduced service pressures,

Water for the upper system comes from the Lake Fork Springs and the three
German Creek Springs (See Figures 2 and 3). Raw water transmission pipelines in the
upper system include the Beaver Dam Ditch Pipeline and the German Springs Pipeline.
Water treated at the upper treatment plant can be either stored in a 2-million-gallon,
welded-steel storage tank where it is delivered on demand to the upper system
distribution system or delivered to private pipeline companies through the Stewart Mesa
German Creek Springs Pipeline. Filter backwash water and excess treated water that
cannot be delivered to storage or other pipelines is spilled to Dry Gulch at the upper
treatment plant. The total direct flow water right of the upper system springs is 4.5 cfs
(cubic feet per second).

Water sources for the lower system include the Reynolds Creek, Mays, Gelwick,
Bell Creek, and other smaller producing springs. Water from these springs is conveyed
into the lower treatment plant through two pipelines, the 5-inch-diameter Upper Paonia

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