18b ‎(3)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 3/18/2008
• Description: CF Section - New Project Loans - Lower Latham Reservoir Company - Well Augmentation Project ‎(Phase II)‎
• 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: Kirk Russell, PE
Mike Serlet, PE, Chief
Water Supply Planning & Finance Section
DATE: March 11, 2008
Bill Ritter, Jr
Governor
Harris D. Sherman
DNR Executive Director
Jennifer L. Gimbel
cwcB Director
Dan McAuliffe
CWCB Deputy Director
SUBJECT: Agenda Item 18b, March 18-19, 2008 Board Meeting
Water Supply Planning and Finance Section - Ne~v Project Loans
Lower Latham Reservoir Company -Well Augmentation Project (Phase II)
Introduction
The Lower Latham Reservoir Company (Company) is applying fora $664,000 loan to acquire two shares of the
Lower Latham Ditch Company (Ditch Company), for the purpose of providing augmentation water for existing
shareholder wells. This project has been identified as the Well Augmentation Project -Phase II (Project) since
the Company financed a water rights purchase through CWCB in July, 2007. The purchase of additional water
will add to the Company's augmentation plan. The current loan request is for 90% of the estimated total cost of
the purchase of the Schmidt Farm water rights of $738,000. See attached Project Data Sheet for a location map
and a project summary.
Background
The Company and the Lower Latham Ditch Company provide irrigation water to approximately 11,000 acres
in Weld County. The Company owns the Lower Latham Reservoir (Reser~~oir), which is filled by the Union
Ditch through a carriage agreement. The Lower Latham Ditch diverts water through a diversion structure on
the South Platte River one mile south of Greeley. The Ditch conveys direct flow water from the river as well
as storage water from the Reservoir. The Reservoir outlet canal conveys water from the Reservoir back into
the ditch system. The Ditch Company's annual headgate diversions are 40,172 AF/yr, and Company's
average annual reser~~oir releases are 2,554 AF/yr.
The Company provides well augmentation for 84 wells, located in Weld County, to replace out-of-priority
depletions caused by well pumping and usage. The wells provide supplemental irrigation water supplies to
farms owned by Company stockholders. There are 39 wells that were formerly in the Groundwater
Appropriators of the South Platte (GASP) augmentation plan, and there are 45 wells also covered in the
augmentation plan of the Groundwater Management Subdistrict (GMS) of the Central Colorado Water
Conservancy District. The Company is purchasing additional water to supplement the water available to its
ov~'n augmentation plan that will cover the wells formerly in the GASP plan, and to supplement coverage of
Water Supply Protection • Watershed Protection & Flood bTitigation • Stream & Lake Protection • Water Supply Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate Water Management & Development