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for supplemental irrigation water, if needed. Documentation supporting this storage <br />allocation or its use was unavailable. <br />2.2.3. Operation of Cimarron Water Rights in the WRPM <br />This discussion has been updated to reflect the StateMod Phase IIIa model. From a <br />modeling point of view, Cimarron Canal is a direct irrigation structure, a carrier of <br />reservoir water, and a reservoir feeder canal. The irrigation portion of the Cimarron Canal <br />is represented in the model by a structure named "IrrCim". The IrrCim demand was <br />created by reducing historical diversions for Cimarron Canal by 650 acre-feet, the <br />capacity of Cerro Reservoir, during the high runoff months. This approach is consistent <br />with our understanding of Project 7's operation, which was developed through several <br />conversations with the provider's operators. The reservoir is filled once in the spring, <br />then drawn down over the next four or five months. <br />IrrCim demand is satisfied by operating rules that permit diversion by the Cimarron <br />Canal under its three direct flow rights, and conveyance by the Cimarron Canal to IrrCim. <br />To the extent that demand is not satisfied by the direct flow rights, operating rules permit <br />releases from Silverjack Reservoir to be conveyed to IrrCim via Cimarron Canal. Cerro <br />Reservoir is filled by the direct flow rights only, since Montrose does not own any <br />storage water. Operating rules allow Cerro Reservoir to release to Project 7 demand. <br />2.3. Dallas Creek Project (Ridgway Reservoir) -Project 7 Water <br />Authority <br />This section describes the operation of the Dallas Creek Project and its principal component, <br />Ridgway Reservoir, constructed on the mainstem of the Uncompahgre River near the Town <br />of Ridgway. The purpose of this project is to provide supplemental water supplies for <br />municipal, industrial, and irrigation uses in the Uncompahgre valley. This section also <br />describes the operation of the Project 7 Water Authority, which was formed to provide <br />domestic/municipal water treatment capabilities for its participants, each of which is <br />responsible for providing raw water to the Project 7 treatment plant. These supplies derive, <br />in large part, from municipal allocations in Ridgway Reservoir. <br />The repayment of the Dallas Creek Project and the normal operation and maintenance of <br />Ridgway Reservoir is the responsibility of the Tri-County Water Conservancy District <br />(TCWCD). TCWCD also provides management services to the Project 7 Water Authority, <br />which, in turn, provides the majority of treated domestic and municipal water supplies to the <br />residents of the Uncompahgre River Valley. <br />2.3.1. General Description of Dallas Creek Project <br />Ridgway Reservoir was constructed by the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) as a <br />participating prof ect in the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP). Construction of <br />Ridgway Dam and Reservoir was completed in 1987. The total capacity of the reservoir <br />is 84,410 acre-feet, 25,000 acre-feet of which are inactive (including dead storage). The <br />Gunnison River Basin Information 2-5 <br />