South Platte - Parker W&SD_LSP IrrigationResearch&Demo_Application_Nov2008

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Alternative Agricultural Water Transfer Methods -Grant Application Form January 2008 2. Study ArealService Area Description The study arealservice area is generally the geographic area that is the subject of the proposed program/project (include both the source of supply and location and type of new use). The description should include the following items: a) A narrative description of the study arealservice area including: the county, the location of towns or cities, topography, and locations of major surface and ground water features. The study area is in Logan County, approximately 10 miles downstream of Sterling, along the north side of the South Platte River. The research farms that are part of this study are shown in the map in Exhibit D, and are located in the vicinity of the towns of Iliff and Proctor. The water supply source for this project is the South Platte River, using decreed senior rights on the river that have historically been used for irrigation of farms in Logan County. PWSD has water rights in the Iliff and Platte Valley Canal, the Powell and Blair Ditch, and the Harmony #2 Ditch, as well as storage and irrigation rights in Prewitt Reservoir. The Iliff and Platte Valley Canal has an appropriation date of October 1,1883 for 150 cubic feet per second (cfs), the Powell and Blair Ditch has an appropriation date of February 19, 1895 for 40 cfs, and the Harmony #2 Ditch has an appropriation date of May 3, 1897 for 50 cfs. All of these rights were adjudicated for irrigation use. PWSD also has 10 shares in the Morgan-Prewitt Mutual Ditch and Reservoir Company that allows approximately 211 acre-feet of storage in Prewitt Reservoir, with a storage right of May 25, 1910. This right includes consumptive use yield (14.4 ac-ft/share), which allows PWSD to assign this yield to its wells for augmentation. The locations of these ditches and their headgate locations on the South Platte River are shown on the map in Exhibit D. Supplemental water supplies to the PWSD farms in Logan County are provided through South Platte River alluvial wells which are allowed to operate under the adjudicated augmentation plan of Lower Logan Well Users, Inc. (Case No. 03CW208) that replace delayed out-of priority depletions to the South Platte River. There will be no new depletions to the South Platte River as a result of this project. b) An area map showing each of the items above, as well as the locations of existing facilities, proposed project facilities and boundaries of lands involved in the proposed program/project. The area map, showing all of the farms currently owned by PWSD is presented in Exhibit D. The Exhibit D map also shows which farms are being used for the research associated with this project. The Hurst farm is being used for the controlled research being conducted by CSU, and is where the linear sprinkler has been installed to facilitate that research. On-farm demonstrations are being conducted at the Hoogland farm (limited irrigation of corn), the Vant farm (soil salinity study), and the Kaufman farm (partial season irrigation of forage crops). At each of the on-farm demonstrations, existing irrigation equipment and water rights are being used to conduct irrigation consistent with historic practices. Exhibit D also shows the headgates for the Iliff and Platte Valley Canal and the headgate for the Powell and B1airlHarmony No. 2 Ditches (they both divert from the same headgate). c) Information regarding the irrigated lands that are involved in the program/project. This must include a tabulation of total irrigated acreage, description of cropping types, crop yields, and total average annual water diversions for existing agricultural lands. There is a total of 2,706 acres of irrigated land on the farms owned by PWSD, and a total acreage of 4,927 acres. All of the PWSD-owned farms are shown in the map in Exhibit D. Crops historically grown on the farms 8