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Fork Lease will also contribute to the settlement of a lawsuit by the owners of the <br />surface water rights that could threaten the ability of some well owners in the RRWCD <br />to pay use fees that will be pledged to repay the CWCB loan for the Compact <br />Compliance Pipeline. <br />3.5. Preferred Alternative <br />Alternative 2 (the North Fork Lease) was selected as the preferred alternative because <br />it will reduce pumping costs and prolong the life of the aquifer at the location where the <br />Compact Compliance Wells will pump. <br />The North Fork Lease will assist the State of Colorado in complying with the Republican <br />River Compact by reducing the consumptive use charged to the State of Colorado <br />under the Republican River Compact Administration's accounting procedures over the <br />next 20 years by approximately 2,500 acre-feet per year. The North Fork Lease will <br />supplement the Republican River Compact Compliance Pipeline and will reduce the <br />amount of ground water that will need to be pumped during the term of the lease, <br />thereby prolonging the life of the aquifer in the location where the wells that will be used <br />as Compact Compliance Wells for the Pipeline project will pump. <br />An additional benefit of the North Fork Lease is that it will contribute to the settlement of <br />a lawsuit to redraw the boundaries of the Northern High Plains Designated Ground <br />Water Basin that could result in the curtailment of a large number of wells in the <br />RRWCD. If the boundaries of the Northern High Plains Basin were redrawn as <br />requested by the surface owners, it would threaten the ability of well owners whose <br />wells were excluded from the Basin to pay use fees that are the source of revenues that <br />will be pledged to repay the CWCB loan for the Compact Compliance Pipeline. Thus, a <br />benefit of the North Fork Lease is to ensure the ability of the RRWCD WAE to repay the <br />CWCB loan for the Compact Compliance Pipeline. <br />In addition, Yuma County, which will become the owner of the water rights, has agreed <br />that the RRWCD WAE will have a right of first refusal to renew the lease at the end of <br />the 20-year period. <br />4.0 ENGINEERING ANALYSIS FOR THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE <br />Approximately 11,000 acre-feet of water per year is needed at this time to comply with <br />Colorado's compact obligations under the Republican River Compact. By the year <br />2039, it is estimated that approximately 15,000 acre-feet of water per year will be <br />needed for compact compliance. <br />4.1. Source of Water for the North Fork Lease <br />The water rights included in the North Fork Lease divert from the North Fork of the <br />Republican River, or tributaries of the North Fork, between the town of Wray and the <br />Colorado-Nebraska stateline. The historical consumptive use charged to the State of <br />Colorado as a result of diversions for agricultural irrigation by these water rights is <br />approximately 2,500 acre-feet per year. See attached memorandum by Slattery Aqua <br />7 <br />