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CHAPTER IV UTILIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL WATER RIGHTS The Cameo call places a demand of 2,260 cfs on the Colorado River. Of this, 1,680 cfs is used for irrigation and the remainder is used for power generation and pumping. Due to the operational constraints of the existing canal systems, it is not possible to significantly decrease the diversion rates. As the diversion rates are decreased, the water surface level in the canals decreases. If the water surface level drops significantly, some of the canal headgates are not able to adequately supply water. Without an operational study of each canal system, it seems reasonable that a reduction of 5 percent would be possible without significantly affecting canal operations. The Recovery Program may need to confirm that such a reduction would not harm the irrigation system before acquiring water rights within a system. It would be possible to install water surface control devices (check structures) in the canal to maintain the water surface. The location and number of these structures would be determined in a canal operation study. The study would also determine how much the diversion rates could be decreased. The cost for the check structure varies according to flow capacity, but a 730 cfs structure would be in the $250,000 price range. Assuming it would be possible to purchase 5 percent of the irrigation rights in the Grand Valley and that a corresponding 5 percent of the 63,500 acres of irrigated land served by the ' Colorado River would be taken out of production, the purchase should yield about 8,000 AF of water. I Legal and Institutional Issues 1 The cost analysis presented below assumes a.total average annual consumptive use per acre is 30 inches. Any portion of the CU in the Grand Valley which is supplied by Green Mountain Reservoir would be subject to question about whether GMR can be used for instream flow purposes. Along with following the requirements of state water law, transfers within the GVWUA would also be required to deal with the Grand Valley Project authorizing legislation. As mentioned previously, the canal systems would need to remain operational with a reduced amount of water. During initial planning of Reclamation's Big Sandy Salinity Control Project in Wyoming, the option of buying-out agricultural land was briefly considered. Although this was technically an economical alternative technically, politically it was perceived to be devastating to the local communities that profited from agriculture. A similar response would be expected if large portions of agricultural land or water rights were purchased for the Recovery Program 31