Energy Needs Report_09_25_08

• Title: Energy Development Water Needs Assessment -Phase 1 Report
• Date: 11/4/2008
• IBCC - Doc Type: Needs Assessment & Technical Support

Executiue Summary
Conditional Water Riqhts Review
As part of Phase l, a review of existing conditional water rights was conducted for each of the
water districts within the study area. This evaluation is a critical component of this investigation,
because this information identifies the application of conditional water rights as a potential and
viable source of water supply necessary to support energy development in the study area. The
research performed as part of Phase 1 indicates that the maj ority of the existing energy
production and development is occurring in Garfield County (Water Division 5) and is expected
to shift north toward Rio Blanco County (Water Division 6) over time (BBC 2008).
Table ES-l, Summary of Conditional ~Uater Rights, summarizes the conditional water rights as
storage and diversion records, respectively, for each water district within the study area.
Table ES-1. Summary of Conditional ~Vater Rights

ater District

Number of Direct
Flow Water Rights
Total Conditional
Direct Flow Rate
(cfs) Number of
Conditional
Storage
Water Rights
Total Conditional
Storage Volume
(acre-feet)
Division 5, District 39 47 888 18 104,664
Division 5, District 45 8 118 1 2,000
Division 5, District 70 56 469 13 166,930
Division 5, District 72 8 513 3 176
Division 6, District 43 83 2,344 25 333,717
Totals 202 4,332 60 607,487
Notes:
cfs = cubic feet per second
For comparative and illustrative purposes, Table ES-2, Summary of Net Absolute Water Rights,
summarizes the absolute direct flow and storage water rights for each water district. This table
includes the total number of absolute water rights and net amount of water adjudicated to each
structure. Further, the number and net quantity of water rights with decreed bene~cial uses such
as commercial, industrial, and power are depicted in parenthesis. It is interesting to note the total
amount of conditional direct flow water rights is 4,332 cubic feet per second (cfs) versus
16,588 cfs of decreed absolute water rights. This reflects the typical early development of
ditches, canals, and other streamflow diversions to meet early domestic and irrigation
development in Colorado. In contrast, the 607,487 acre-feet of conditional storage water rights
far exceeds the 146,355 acre-feet of absolute storage water rights.
~+~ ES-11