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Kerber Creek Kerber Creek is the largest tributary reaching San Luis Creek. Flows in Kerber commonly peak at over 200 cfs, and typically reach San Luis Creek through mid-June. When flows in Kerber are in excess of 60 cfs, Kerber is considered a free river system. There is a streamflow gauging station on Kerber Creek immediately downstream from the highest diversion point. San Luis Creek San Luis Creek is predominant water supply within District 25. As previously described, only a few of the many small tributaries physically reach San Luis Creek on a regular basis, including Kerber Creek, Rock Creek, Clover Creek, Alder Creek. Water sources reaching San Luis Creek are administered together with San Luis Creek. A futile call is considered to exist on other tributaries, and water rights are administered separately. For water rights administration purposes, San Luis Creek is divided into three reaches. The upper reach extends from Poncha Pass to a point north of Villa Grove at the confluence with Kerber Creek. The middle reach extends from Kerber Creek to County Road 66 (Hot Springs Road), including Kerber Creek rights. The lower reach is below County Road 66, extending down to San Luis Lake. Because of natural gains and losses to the creek, these three reaches are administered somewhat independently. The most senior water rights on the upper reach of San Luis Creek (and tributaries) are owned by the Oxcart Ranch. These rights have a No. 51 priority, and are either on one of the small tributaries or on San Luis Creek and are not effected by a senior call. In addition, San Luis Creek is often dry at a point just upstream from Villa Grove, so calls from downstream rights are considered futile during these times. Priority number 55, for 16 cfs, is another major diversion, and is the number two calling priority. The middle reach of San Luis Creek typically runs year-round. Within the middle reach, the senior priorities are Nos. 2, 3, 14, 16, 30 and 35 on Kerber Creek. However, San Luis Creek typically gains approximately 8 cfs over a five mile reach through the Villa Grove area. This gain often satisfies several other downstream seniors on San Luis Creek such that they do not have to be called out, including the No. 2 priority (Schultz Dittrich Ditch) for 2.1 cfs, the Number 3 priority (Steel Ditch No. 2) for 1.6 cfs, the Number 14 priority (Schultz Dittrich North Ditch) for 2.8 cfs, and the Number 16 priority (San Luis Co. Ditch) for 5.9 cfs. The lower reach of San Luis Creek experiences heavy losses, and rarely has live flows all the way to San Luis Lake. Many of the ditches on the lower reach do not have functioning flumes and rarely have a significant divertable supply. The District Commissioner is not aware of diversions structures that have physical capacities that are less than their total decreed water rights. There are, however, several structures in the lower reach that are rarely used and may not be able to sustain flow under their decreed rights. The Commissioners noted that several diversion structures that appear in the State's database are either abandoned or are actually water rights that are carried in other structures. Included are: • Coal Drainage Ditch -abandoned • Keasey Ditch -abandoned • Trujillo Ditch -abandoned • Desert Ditch -abandoned C:Acdss\D25_Mem.doc District 25 Interview July 2, 1999 -Page 6 of 9