Water News: Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District Volume 2, Issue 14

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Lake County Land Use and Recreation Study Underway The Lake County Land Use and Recreation Study that was approved at the March Board of Directors meeting is underway and making good progress. A kick -off meeting was held at the District office on May 4. Several of the participants as well as sev- eral involved citizens from Lake County were in attendance. Scott Babcock of ERO Resources di- rected the meeting and intro- duced Mark DeHaven of ERO who will be the Project Manager and Ford Frick who will be a contributing consultant for the (IRRIGATION continued from page]) saved two ways by: project. r The purpose of the meeting was to familiarize everyone with the scope of work and how ERO will approach the study. The meeting accomplished this as well as giving everyone a comfort level that all partici- pants will have a voice in the study. Additionally, the impor- tance of input from all partici- pants was stressed as this study needs to be as inclusive as pos- sible. ERO then began the process of setting up meetings with par- • Improving irrigation system performance • Proper scheduling based on local weather patterns" An audit should be done periodically to evalu- ate the irrigation system performance. Efficient system performance means that water is applied as uniformly as possible. It is the result of appropriate design, installation, operation, and maintenance of the system. It consists of a series of field proce- dures for collecting and compiling irrigation sys- tem data; then using this data to evaluate system performance characteristics, such as distribution uniformity and precipitation rates. Appropriate irrigation scheduling means that the right amount of water is being applied at the right time. A schedule defines the day or days of the week, the time or times of the day, and how long a sta- tion or zone is activated to apply water. The recommended schedule resulting from an audit is based on the results of field tests and inspection, distribution uniformity and precipitation rate, soil intake rate, plant water use, root zone depth and soil water holding characteris- tics. The schedule must be able to function within the limits and capabilities of the controllers used to operate the irrigation systems. Schedules must be modi- fied to accommodate changes in the weather, which change the plants' need for water. Water savings is achieved by: • Checking and fixing equipment • Following the weather throughout the season • Maintaining the system at peak efficiency If you are interested in having a certified landscape irrigation audit per- formed, please, contact the District at 719 - 948 -2023 or 948 -2400. Written by Jean Van Pelt, Conservation Outreach Coordinator S ticipants as well as visiting the existing Lake County recreation sites. A tour was set up for June 21 that allowed all the partici- pants to visit the current sites and provide their thoughts as well as to initiate discussions about the various aspects of each site. About 30 people attended this tour and there was great input and discussion. Along with this tour, a public open house was held in Leadville. This allowed the general public to come in and meet the people working on the study, get a feel for the scope of the study, and provide any infor- mation and/or thoughts on land use and recreation in Lake County. The study will continue through the rest of the year with an expected publish date of Feb- ruary or March of 2006. For any information regarding this study please contact Phil Reynolds at SECWCD 2004 Annual Financial Report Independent Auditors' Report are available to all interested persons at the District office, 31717 United Avenue, Pueblo, Colorado 81001 And can be accessed online at www.secwcd.org.