Yampa River Basin Water Resources Planning Model Final Report

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TABLE 2.2A Key Water Resources Developments Date Description 1935 Stillwater Reservoir 1942 Fish Creek Reservoir 1961 Steamboat Lake 1963 Craig Station Ditch and Pipeline 1974 Elkhead Reservoir 1977 Lake Catamount 1 Yamcolo Reservoir L 98 Stagecoach Re,,ervoir Irrigated Agriculture is by far the largest consumer of water in the Yampa River basin. Ditch construction for irrigation began in the 1800s and currently consists of over 1,500 active diversion structures serving approximately 80,600 acres of irrigated land. Ditches supplying pasture and hay crops are found along most streams in the basin. Municipal and Industrial (M &Il water use in the Yampa River basin is relatively small compared to irrigated water use. Key M &I developments include the towns of Steamboat and Craig, the Colorado Utilities Ditch and Pipeline (Hayden Station), and the Craig Power Station Ditch and Pipeline. Snowmaking Diversions are included in the model but are relatively small when compared to irrigated water use. One snowmaking diversion, Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation, averages approximately 275 acre -feet per season. Federal Systems are nonexistent in the Yampa River basin. Appendix C, Section 10.1 provides a detailed description of all the modeled water resources developments within the basin. 2.3 Historical Water Rights Administration Historical water rights administration in the Yampa River basin has been accomplished on the basis of direct flow priorities. The Yampa River below Steamboat Springs is usually water long and seldom experiences a river call. The upper Bear River, however, does not have an extreme abundance of water and is usually administered throughout the irrigation season. Irrigation shortages on the upper Bear River are typically satisfied by storage releases from Yamcolo and Stillwater reservoirs. Introduction 2 -3