Report on Water Use North Platte

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NORTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN USE OF WATER IN COLORADO WATER YEAR 2003 The State of Colorado reports the following use of water from the North Platte River Basin for the period October 1, 2002 to 5eptember 30, 2003. This report is made pursuant to Paragraph IX of the decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered October 8, 1945, in the case of State of Nebraska vs. Wyoming and Colorado, as amended. Total area of land irrigated in Jackson County, Colorado 114,571 Acres Total amount of watex stored for irrigation in Jackson 16,988 AF County, Colorado Amount of water exported from the North Platte River Basin, Jackson County, Colorado by: Michigan Ditch 6,080 AF Cameron Pass Ditch 183 AF Total 6,263 AF Discussion of Storaee for Irriization Use As listed above, Colorado stored 16, 988 acre-feet of water for irrigation use in Water Year (WY) 2003 in the North Platte drainage. This value represents the net storage for this use. Because of the drought of 2002, most of the irrigation reservoirs in Jackson County were drained at the end of the WY 2002. This situation provided for the potential for more then 17,000 acre-feet of storage for WY 2003. During the winter of 2003, it became apparent that the 17,000 acre-foot storage limit for Colorado might be exceeded. This possibility became a reality with the snowstorm of March 2003 that deposited over six feet of snow on the Never sumniers mountain range. In order to comply with the provisions of the Supreme Court Decree, Colorado took the following steps in the spring of 2003: • Reservoir readings were made as early as possible in the spri.ng to deterrrune winter storage amounts. • Potential storage was estimated for each reservoir based on winter storage and estimated runoffs. • A priority schedule for filling storage decrees was established, taking into account the potential storage and physical reservoir capacity. • Reservoirs were monitored on a regulaz basis during the spring run-off period. • Storage under junior decrees was ordered released to the stream systems when the estimated storage for the senior decrees reached 17,000 acre-feet. Using the steps outlined above, It was estimated that the 17,000 acre-foot limitation would be exceeded during the spring run-off and 553 acre-feet of storage was ordered released from reservoirs with junior storage decrees. As it tutned out, several reservoirs with senior rights did not fill to the amount anricipated. Some chose not to store as much as they could, even though water was available. Senior direct flow rights called others out as the weather became wann enough to start irrigation. When the spring runoff was over, 15,813 acre-feet had been stored for irrigation use. Since Colorado was now under the storage cap, late summer storage was allowed. Senior decrees that had not filled in the spring and some junior decrees were allowed to store additional amounts if water was available to them in priority. Most of this storage occurred during the haying season when the direct flow rights were shut off. This late season storage accounted for 1175 acre-feet. Total storage for irrigation use, taking into account the spring storage, spring releases to the system and late summer storage, was 16,988 acre-feet.