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Aurora has one of the youngest water systems on the Front Range with water rights that are <br />relatively junior in priority. Due to this young water system, its water supply components do not <br />consistently generate as much water from year to year as the older water right systems such as <br />Denver Water's. Even the changed water rights from the Upper South Platte Basin have <br />relatively small yields in a dry year when compared to their average annual yields. Aurora relies <br />heavily on storage (principally in Spinney) to regulate these junior priority and often seasonal <br />supplies. <br />Aurora has incurred below average raw water yields from 1999 through 2004, which low yields <br />are a reflection of the relatively junior nature of the water rights in the Aurora system and the <br />drier river conditions. This water supply environment has placed strain on Aurora's supplies in <br />recent years and encouraged the continual development of water supply projects (such as the <br />proposed Lower South Platte Project), storage projects, and conservation and reuse projects. <br />Given the projected future demands on Aurora's system, this development will have to continue. <br />Because of the number of water sources from three major drainage basins (South Platte, <br />Arkansas, and Colorado) and present storage, Aurora's water resources system has operational <br />flexibility. Administration of Aurora's water resource system is relatively complex and is <br />principally performed by Aurora Water staff, with consultations with State water administrators. <br />PHYSICAL INFORMATION <br />Aurora's raw water supply system in the South Platte River Basin consists of structural and non- <br />structural elements. The major structural elements in the City of Aurora's South Platte Basin <br />raw water resources system are associated with their changed water rights in South Park, <br />Homestake Pipeline, Spinney Mountain Reservoir, Aurora Intake at Strontia Springs Reservoir, <br />Aurora wells and Aurora Reservoir. <br />1) South Park Gages (multiple Structure IDs -see Table 4 and Table 5) <br />Aurora's water supplies include yield produced by 143 agricultural water rights in the South Park <br />area that have been changed to municipal uses. In general, the yield of these changed water <br />rights is determined using flow rates dictated by the water right change decrees as applied at <br />various "administration gages", also dictated by the water right change decree. As decreed, if the <br />streamflow is adequate at an administration gage to meet the decreed flow rate and the specific <br />changed water right is in priority, Aurora can "take" that water at that administration gage and <br />move it into storage or use it directly in their system. With this method, several water rights are <br />accounted for at each gage, and the number of administration points on each tributary is limited. <br />Additional information on the administration of these water rights is contained in the sections on <br />Water Rights and Operational Information. The water rights associated with each gage are <br />tabulated in Table 4 and Table 5. Further information regarding administration of the South <br />Park gages is also included in the SPDSS Task 3 Memorandum -Notes from Water District 23 <br />Meeting. <br />City of Aurora Operating Memorandum 5 of 29 <br />