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Lower San Miguel yVa~er Resource Planning Study Page 13 The Tabeguache Well No.l, Tabeguache Well No. 2, and the Uravan Well No. 2 are still in existence; however, the Uravan Well No. 2 is the only well that is currently operable. Depending on the future use of the lands to be transferred to Montrose County these wells may be useful under their decreed use. Surface Water Factors Considered • The advantage to using the Johnson Ditch water rights as they are currently decreed is that this could be done without going to water court and addressing the history of use issue. • Should this be possible the history of use could be re-established over the next 100 years, or so, and the value of the water rights restored. • One factor that makes this scenario infeasible is that the Club Ranch where the Johnson Ditch rights were used is no longer available for irrigation. The Club Ranch became the location for the mill's tailings ponds and has since been reclaimed to a dry landlnatural vegetation type. The application of irrigation water to these lands would defeat the purpose of the reclamation effort. • Another factor is the fact that not only has the mill where the water rights were used been destroyed, but the Town of Uravan where the water was also used has been razed as part of the remediation effort. • Thus, there is no possible way to utilize the Johnson Ditch water rights as currently decreed. • If it were possible to use these water rights as decreed, the San Miguel Basin could experience a senior call that it has not experienced for over 60 years. This could significantly alter the current water right administration and historic use of water in the basin. (rnnrl»cinnc Since the lands where the Johnson Ditch water rights were originally used are no longer available for irrigation or the other uses the water rights were decreed for, placing the rights to their currently decreed use would not be feasible even in light of the remote possibility of rejuvenating the water rights. Power Company Canal Water Rights Factors Considered • The advantage to using the Miguel Power Company Canal water rights as currently decreed is that this could be done without going to water court and addressing the history of use issue. • The hydropower facility for which the rights were used has long since been destroyed. • The cost to re-install such a generating facility would be very expensive and the amount of power to be generated from such a low head facility with limited supply would probably not justify the cost. ~Iuly 2008