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1.3. Project Area The YCWA PID is located in northeastern Colorado and includes all of Yuma County. A map of Yuma County is attached as Attachment 3. Petitioners in the litigation sought to de-designate all land within 20 miles of the North Fork of the Republican River. In Yuma County, the land impacted by the litigation is approximately 190,000 irrigated acres. The 20 mile curtailment area contains 1,338 irrigation wells, 11 high capacity commercial wells and all of the municipal wells for the cities of Eckley, Wray and Yuma. A map depicting the 20 mile area is attached to this study as Attachment 4. 1.4. Land Uses Within the YCWA PID The YCWA PID overlies the Ogallala Aquifer, a regional underground aquifer system underlying portions of seven states from South Dakota to the Texas panhandle, including portions of the Republican River Basin in Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas. The North Fork of the Republican River originates in the basin and flows through the town of Wray, Colorado, and then into Nebraska. There are several small ditches that divert surface water from the North Fork, or tributaries of the North Fork, in Colorado. The two largest of these are the 15 c.f.s. Pioneer (a/k/a Haigler) Ditch, which diverts water for irrigation of lands on the south side of the North Fork of the Republican River in Coloradol and the 12 c.f.s. Laird Ditch which diverts water for irrigation of lands on the north side of the North Fork of the Republican River in Colorado. The 2000 census indicates that 9,841 people live in Yuma County as a whole, 3,285 live in the City of Yuma, 2,187 in the City of Wray and 278 live in the Town of Eckley. Farming and farm support related businesses are the primary industries within the Yuma County. There are approximately 380,000 irrigated acres in Yuma County. 2.0 WATER DEMANDS AND WATER RIGHTS 2.1. Water Supply Demands In 1978, withdrawals of ground water in the Republican River Basin reached approximately 1,040,000 acre-feet per year. In 2005, ground water pumping was approximately 750,000 acre-feet per year. Ground water impacts from ground water diversions in Colorado included in the Republican River Compact Administration ("RRCA") Compact Accounting averaged approximately 25,370 acre-feet per year over the period 2002-2006. These impacts are primarily due to ground water diversions that occurred decades ago. Starting in 2003, Colorado has exceeded its compact allocations by an average of 11,350 acre-feet per year. Some reduction in the amount that Colorado has exceeded its compact allocations is expected in the future as the result of irrigated acreage retirement programs supported by the RRWCD. However, it is projected that the deficit will increase gradually to 15,000 acre-feet in 2039. ' The Pioneer Ditch also diverts a 29 cfs water right used to irrigate lands in Nebraska. 12368\1 \1204400.5 2