Water News: Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District Volume 2 Issue 6

Home Browse Search

(XERISCAPE continuedfrom page 1) plants that are adapted to our cli- mate the time spent watering, mowing and maintaining a land- scape will be greatly reduced. Xeriscape landscapes can also conserve money. Not only will it reduce your water utility bills, but maintenance costs can be re- duced also. By utilizing plants that prefer Colorado's weather and soil, the expense of replacing poorly adapted plants is reduced. Proper plant selection also re- duces the amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides needed in the landscape. Another definite benefit for xeriscape gardening is they retain their beauty during times of drought. An established water - wise garden will not suf- fer from prolonged drought when conven- tional, water - thirsty land- scapes do. In addition, a well designed, installed, and maintained xeriscape can increase property values up to fifteen per- cent. If you are installing a new landscape or think- ing of converting an old, (Continued from page 1) their crops. An early allocation of water to the canal companies would also create early return flows to help the well users. The District contacted the Fountain Valley Authority (FVA) and Colorado Springs Utilities and negotiated a loan that allowed the District to borrow 5,000 acre -feet of Project water that FVA had stored in Project facilities. The District would then pay back FVA with the first 5,000 acre -feet of agricultural Project wa- ter delivered from the western slope. In May, the Bureau of Reclamation projected that the Project would pro- duce 37,500 acre -feet of water for allocation. The Board of Directors of the District then allocated 35,134 acre -feet of Project water 51 % of the allocation went to municipal entities and the remaining 49% went to agri- cultural users. This is the second year that municipal entities requested the full 51 % as outlined in the "Allocation Principles." Municipal entities requested more water than they would need on an annual basis because they are trying to replace reserves used during the 2002 drought. The large municipal requests for Project water resulted in a smaller allocation of water to agriculture that has historically enjoyed the use of water that was not requested by the municipalities. The allocation of 35,134 acre -feet is a great improvement over the 10,864 acre -feet that were allocated in 2002. The picture is not all rosy because a large portion of the return flows from this allocation will accrue to the river system after the irrigation season and will not be available for well augmentation until later years. ` As a result, the District only allocated 3,605 acre -feet of Project water re- turn flows for agriculture in 2003, this compares with 17,054 acre -feet allo- cated in 2002. Also exacerbating the return flow shortage is the fact the . , 4 + large municipal Project water users requested the first right of refusal to e` Project water return flows that they generate, which makes this water un- available for agricultural return flows. The basic price for Project water is $7.00 per acre -foot for both agricul- water - thirsty landscape it This years Demonstration Xeriscape Garden. The tural and municipal entities. The mu- makes sense to consider garden is four years old and has been coping with the nicipalities pay a $2.00 per acre -foot an attractive xerisca e drought incredibly well, using minimal water. surcharge for a total of $9.00 per p landscape. The District's Demonstration Xeriscape Garden is an excellent resource. The gar- den coordinator offers guided tours, educational workshops and group presentations that can be used as learning tools for the resi- dents of southeastern Colorado. If you are interested in xeriscaping contact the Garden Coordinator, Jean Van Pelt, at (719) 948 -2023. Written by Jean Van Pelt, Educational Program & Maintenance Coordinator, SECWCD acre -foot while the agricultural water users pay a $1.25 per acre -foot surcharge for a total of $8.25 per acre - foot. The price for Project water return flows for both agricultural and mu- nicipal entities is $6.00 per acre -foot with a $0.50 per acre -foot Water Ac- tivity Enterprise surcharge. Project water is a supplemental source of water for irrigation and do- mestic use. Domestic use has a priority over agricultural use. This year and 2002 are the only years that municipal entities have requested their full 51 %. Agricultural users have until November 1 of each year to use 80% of their total allocation. At that time, any portion of their allocation re- maining in storage exceeding 20% of their total allocation, that portion will revert back to the District for re- allocation. The remaining portion of their allocation must be used by May 1, of the following year unless extended by the District Board of Directors. Written by Robert Hamilton, Water Resources Manager, SECWCD 2�