FLOOD10516

• County: Delta
• Basin: Gunnison
• Title: North Fork Water Conservancy District Water Management Plan
• Date: 7/1/2001
• Prepared For: Delta County
• Prepared By: Delta Soil Conservation District
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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... CHAPTEpi 2. WATER RESOURCE INVENTORY
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East Beckwith Reservoir No. 1

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FMCC also own 75 percent interest in the East Beckwith Resbrvoir No.1. This reservoir is located in
the Lost Lake watershed along a tributary to Anthracite Credk. East Beckwith Reservoir No. 1 was
decreed an absolute water right for 568 acre-feet and conditiohal 277 acre-feet right on December 21,
1989. Subsequently, the 277 acre-feet water right was abandoned in Water Court Case 89CW121.
Water Court Case 92W057 abandoned an additional 185 acre-feet.

Storage rights in East Beckwith Reservoir NO.1 are currently 383 acre-feet; 287.25 acre-feet owned by
the FMCC. In Water Court Case W2864, industrial use was added as a beneficial use and FMCC's
interest was decreed with an alternative point of diversion to, Hawks Nest Pipeline NO.2. Currently,
West Elk Coal Company annually leases 125 acre-feet from FMCC through the Hawks Nest Pipeline.
The remaining storage decreed to FMCC is 162.25 acre-feet. It is estimated that sedimentation has
reduced the storage to 100 acre-feet, which is used by FMCC as supplemental irrigation water
(Denison 2000).

Water Administration

The Fire Mountain Canal water rights decreed in the 193q, 1936, and the 1954 adjudication ar~
considered "flood water rights" and usually fall out of priority after spring runoff diminishes. The water
rights decreed in the 1914 and 1904 adjudication are cqnsidered relatively senior water rights.
However, use of these water rights falls out of priority approximately once every two years. Storage
water from Paonia Reservoir and East Beckwith Reservoir No. 1 supplement Fire Mountain Canal's
direct diversions. Storage water is typically released for diversion into Fire Mountain Canal by July 1.

Table 2-3 is a list of water rights on the North Fork of the Gunnison River that are senior to the Fire
Mountain Canal 1904 decree. Stewart, Paonia, Wade and Hightower, and Farmers ditches hold the
most senior water rights directly downstream of Fire Mountain Canal. During low flow years, these
water rights are typically the first to place a "call for water" on the North Fork. A "call for water" is placed
when senior water right holders are not receiving their decreed amount. This results in reducing
upstream diversions that are junior in priority to satisfy the downstream senior water right. Below
Paonia Ditch, there are several other water rights senior to Fire Mountain Canal. However, "call for
water" typically does not occur below the Paonia Ditch due to the contribution of irrigation return flows
and small tributaries.

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