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PHYSICAL INFORMATION <br />The Left Hand Ditch Company was incorporated in 1866 to aggregate the water rights ownership <br />of the 16 major ditch systems located in the Left Hand Creek basin. The ditch company service <br />area extends eastward to about Highway 119. One hundred shares of company stock were issued <br />when the ditch company was first incorporated. Subsequent renewals of the ditch company's <br />Articles of Incorporation resulted in issuance of additional stock, up to a total of 105 shares. <br />Urbanization in the company service area, spurred by construction of the IBM building in Niwot <br />in the late 1960s resulted in sales of portions of shares of ditch company stock to support <br />development. In order to simplify internal administration of full ditch shares, as opposed to part <br />shares, the stock was split 160 to 1 in 1969, resulting in 16,800 total shares. The domestic water <br />supply for rural users in the Left Hand Creek basin is provided by the Left Hand Water District <br />with water supplied pursuant to the District's share ownership in the ditch company. The Left <br />Hand Water District currently owns about 17 percent of the outstanding shares of ditch company <br />stock. The Left Hand Water District has changed the use of about 12.4 percent of ditch company <br />stock to municipal and other uses for use within its distribution system. <br />The ditch company operates one major diversion structure on St. Vrain Creek and the individual <br />diversion headgates within the Left Hand Creek basin (see Figure 2). The Left Hand Ditch <br />system operates five reservoirs, located as shown in Figure 1. Specifics regarding the elements of <br />the ditch company's infrastructure are summarized below. <br />1) Left Hand Ditch (Structure ID 0500603) <br />The Left Hand Ditch headgate is located on the south side of the South Fork St. Vrain Creek, <br />below the South St. Vrain Creek near Ward stream gage (06722500). Water is diverted into <br />James Creek, which generally travels in an easterly-southeasterly direction through Water <br />District 5 towards Left Hand Creek. <br />The diversion works of the Left Hand Ditch consist of an 8-foot manually-controlled radial gate, <br />located in steep, mountainous topography. The diversion structure is opened to a certain extent in <br />the fall and generally freezes in that position over the winter into the late-spring. The ditch is <br />unlined for the extent of its length, which has not varied over time, and is in generally <br />satisfactory condition. <br />Length: Approximately 50 total miles of ditches. <br />Capacity: The capacity of Left Hand Ditch is 400 cubic feet per second (cfs). <br />Measurement Device: Diversions through the Left Hand Ditch are measured with the ditch <br />company's stilling well. Diversions through the headgate are also measured with a stream <br />gage maintained by the Division of Water Resources (LEFTHDCO), located <br />approximately 100 feet down ditch from the river headgate. <br />Conveyance Efficiency: An analysis on betterment of ditch operations within the Left Hand <br />Ditch Company estimated overall losses of 10 percent to 20 percent associated with <br />Left Hand Ditch Operating Memorandum.doc 5 of 17 January 5, 2005 <br />