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Travel time between Rio Grande Reservoir and the Farmers Union Canal is approximately 24 <br />hours. <br />As required by decree, water stored under direct flow rights must be used within the same season <br />it is stored. Separate accounting is required for direct flow storage water, and the District also <br />maintains separate accounts for priority storage, exchange water and minor pooling agreements. <br />Storage by Exchange <br />Water may also be stored via exchanges, typically for convenience during maintenance periods. <br />The District cooperates with the Santa Maria Reservoir Company to operate a variety of <br />exchanges. <br />Use of Groundwater <br />Use of groundwater is an important component of irrigation within the San Luis Valley Irrigation <br />District. The transition to intensive groundwater use began in the late 1950s, with most well <br />development occurring in the 1970s and 1980s. This transition to groundwater was a result of <br />high variability in surface supplies, and because the service area is typically water short without <br />supplemental groundwater. The transition has also coincided with a tremendous increase in <br />center pivot sprinkler systems. The shift from surface water to groundwater may be evident in <br />historical diversion records beginning in the late 1970s. The District does not maintain individual <br />pumping records. Information is available for water delivered to the District and is reported in <br />the Aquifer Recharge Credit Reports filed each year with the State. <br />The practice of using surface water to recharge the unconfined aquifer within the District's <br />service area was formally recognized as a beneficial use in Case No. W-3980. This method of <br />recharge has been practiced by the District for many years, and is integral to maintaining water <br />levels. In fact, much of the water currently diverted from the Rio Grande is used expressly for <br />this purpose. Many of the land owners within the District have created pits or basins where <br />surface water can be applied for recharge purposes. <br />The decree issued in Case No. 79CW091 allowed for diversions by the District from the Rio <br />Grande outside of the normal irrigation season (November and December) for additional <br />recharge. The District participates in the winter recharge program whenever water is made <br />available by the State (when Rio Grande Compact obligations have been met). During these <br />months, diverted water is sent down the Canal then diverted onto sage brush lands, dyked lands <br />and recharge pits (often at corners of center pivots). Losses from the Farmers Union Canal itself <br />also facilitate aquifer recharge. <br />Cropping Within the Service Area <br />The principal crops irrigated under the Farmers Union Canal include <br />• potatoes <br />• malt barley <br />• other small grains (rotation crops) <br />C:Acdss\SLVDist.doc San Luis Valley Irrigation District Interview June 22, 1999 -Page 5 of 7 <br />