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Assets of the District include numerous decreed water rights, Rio Grande Reservoir, the Farmers <br />Union Canal, and associated diversion and water delivery facilities. <br />Ownership <br />As a special irrigation district, entitlement to water is as per statute. Water is delivered to <br />individuals owning lands within the District boundaries. There are currently about 180 different <br />land owners within the District, including several large corporations. In total there are <br />approximately 300 voting members of the District. <br />Limitations on Share Use <br />Member of the District are entitled to receive an amount of water proportional to the amount of <br />land they own. All water deliveries must be to land within the defined boundaries of the District. <br />Water may be moved within the District with the approval of District management. <br />Water Rights of the District <br />The District owns 9 different water appropriations on the Rio Grande totaling 801.36 cfs. Many <br />of these direct flow rights are relatively junior in priority to other water rights on the Rio Grande <br />and they are frequently called out. The District also owns storage rights at Rio Grande Reservoir <br />totaling 51,113 acre-feet. These rights are junior in priority to Santa Maria Reservoir, but senior <br />in priority to Continental Reservoir. <br />Priority Number Amount Cumulative <br /> (cfs) Amount <br />308 0.16 0.16 <br />314 138.80 138.96 <br />328 0.25 139.21 <br />353 0.95 140.16 <br />1903-17B 5.45 145.61 <br />1903-22E 105.41 251.02 <br />1903-24F 280.47 531.49 <br />1903-30F 159.69 691.18 <br />1903-34G 110.18 801.36 <br />Flow conditions in the Rio Grande are such that there is typically a slow progression of the <br />District's direct flow rights coming into priority. This tends to work well for District operations <br />because it allows time for irrigation demands to develop and for the District to prepare the system <br />for water. The District prefers to run their system at flow levels between 400 and 500 cfs. If <br />they are in priority to divert at higher levels, they consider storing water under their direct flow <br />storage decree (discussed below). <br />Water Right Changes, Transfers and Agreements <br />There are three important legal actions that affect water supply and operations of the District, <br />including: <br />C:Acdss\SLVDist.doc San Luis Valley Irrigation District Interview June 22, 1999 -Page 2 of 7 <br />