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PHYSICAL INFORMATION <br />Infrastructure information related to the ditch headgate, ditch layout, reservoirs, and associated <br />elements of the system are summarized below. <br />1) Union Ditch (Structure ID 0200828) <br />Union Ditch diverts water from the east side of the South Platte River to shareholders of the <br />Union Ditch Company. The southern extension of the ditch is used to fill Lower Latham <br />Reservoir under a contract agreement with the Union Ditch Company. There is also a lateral that <br />crosses the Lower Latham Ditch below Lower Latham Reservoir to irrigate 200 acres that are <br />owned by three shareholders. The diversion season for the ditch is typically between April and <br />October and the water is decreed for irrigation. The Union Ditch Company holds no storage <br />rights in Lower Latham Reservoir and does not use storage water from the reservoir to irrigate its <br />fields. <br />Length: Union Ditch is 13 miles long. The south extension of the ditch, which empties into <br />Lower Latham Reservoir, is an additional 2 miles. <br />Capacity: The capacity of Union Ditch is 150 cfs. <br />Conveyance Efficiency: No conveyance efficiency information is available for this ditch. <br />Irrigated Acreage and Crop Types: Hydrobase lists Union Ditch as irrigating 7,000 acres, <br />while preliminary SPDSS estimates for irrigated acreage under Union Ditch are 5,180 acres. The <br />two primary crops that are irrigated under Union Ditch are corn (about 50 percent of the fields) <br />and Alfalfa (about 40 percent of the fields). There is also a small degree of sugar beet, wheat, <br />and grass production that accounts for the remaining 10 percent of irrigated land. <br />Ground Water Use: Ground water is not widely used in this area. <br />Return Flow Locations: Return flows from the ditch accrue to the South Platte River above the <br />Highland Ditch headgate. All of the flow returns to the South Platte River above the <br />Kersey Gage. <br />Measurement Device: Flow is measured using a 12" Parshall Flume that is located within 500 <br />hundred feet of where the South Platte River passes under Route 60. <br />Hydrobase Data: Data available in Hydrobase for the 1950 - 2002 period of record pertaining <br />to Union Ditch includes the total diversions, except for 1985. <br />Lower Latham Ditch Memo.doc 4 of 12 <br />