Laserfiche WebLink
• The on-ditch reservoirs will typically fill every year by March or during the spring runoff. <br />The off-ditch reservoirs are filled during the spring runoff and typically fill during average <br />and wet years. <br />Summer <br />• The irrigation season extends from late-April/early-May -late-September/early-October. <br />• Highland Reservoir No. 2 is used to regulate water deliveries throughout the system, <br />including the small amount of water released for shareholders under the Boulder Larimer <br />Ditch system. <br />• Irrigators typically rely on the direct flow water rights only through the end of June. <br />• Storage releases start to occur late-June to mid-July and extend through the end of the <br />irrigation season. The last two weeks of July tend to be when the highest demand on the <br />system occurs. <br />• Storage releases are typically made from the off-ditch reservoir units first followed by <br />releases from the on-ditch reservoirs for replacement oflate-season river diversions. <br />• The urbanization of lands under the Oligarchy Ditch has reduced the irrigation demand under <br />the ditch and reduced the usability of McIntosh Lake for the Highland Ditch Company. <br />Therefore, management of McIntosh Lake was changed to an independent entity, which <br />changed the storage water rights to municipal and other uses, which will make the sale of <br />these water rights more attractive for future municipal uses. Operation of McIntosh Lake, as <br />described above, has not changed from its historical practices but this will change in time as <br />more shares are sold to municipal interests. <br />• Delivery of transbasin water typically starts in mid-July once the off-ditch storage water is no <br />longer available and water must be delivered to irrigators located above the on-ditch <br />reservoirs. <br />The Highland Ditch also serves as an alternate point of diversion for direct flow rights owned by <br />the City of Longmont historically diverted at the Rough and Ready, St. Vrain Palmerton, Swede, <br />Smead, Pella, South Flat, Beckwith and Zwech Turner ditches. These alternate point diversions <br />have been operated for the last 10 to 15 years and explicitly recorded by the Water <br />Commissioner since the mid-1990s. These diversions are used by Longmont at its Burch Lake <br />water treatment plant. <br />Where to find more information <br />^ The Water District 5 Meeting Notes prepared for SPDSS Task 3 -Identify Key Diversion <br />Structures contains additional information on ditch and reservoir operations within the <br />Water District. <br />^ The SPDSS Task 5 Memorandum -Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the <br />Colorado-Big Thompson Project contains additional information on NCWCD and C-BT <br />operations within the Water District. <br />^ The SPDSS Draft Irrigated Parcel Mapping has preliminary irrigated area for the Highland <br />Ditch Company. <br />Highland Ditch Operating Memorandum.doc 15 of 16 February 24, 2005 <br />