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This study was prepared in accordance with the Colorado Water Conservation Board guidelines. This study includes an alternative analysis engineering design and cost estimates. 1. Background Eckhardt Farms Corporation was established in 1993 as a C Corporation and is in good standing with the Colorado Secretary of State. The corporation operates a farm located in Weld County just south of LaSalle, Colorado. There are three directors of the corporation; Frank Eckhardt, Steven Eckhardt, and David Eckhardt. The corporation is the entity that overlooks all of the farming operations, irrigating approximately 3,000 acres of farmland growing corn, sugar beets, hay, onions, wheat, and pinto beans. The directors also have a partnership, separate from the corporation, which owns the land and farming equipment. The partnership currently owns about 200 acres of farm land and leases 2,800 acres of farmland. In the past Eckhardt Farms has been able to irrigate using well water. The wells that Eckhardt Farms used are part of the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District's — Well Augmentation Subdistrict and have not been able to be pumped since 2005. Since the wells have been shut off the corporation has been forced to lease shares of water from the Western Mutual Ditch Company and the Farmers Independent Ditch Company. • 1.1 Purpose a. The purpose of this project is to obtain 21 shares of water from the Western Mutual Ditch Company to increase productivity of Eckhardt Farms Corporation's farming operation. The purchase of the 21 shares of water will increase the value of the 107 acres of irrigated land that the water will be a part o£ Without the opportunity to purchase these water shares Eckhardt Farms Corporation will lose the ability to purchase these shares because another entity could purchase the water. This could turn into a problem in the future because without guaranteed shares of water in growing seasons of short water supply and little rainfall the profitability of the farm will decrease. • 1.2 Study Area Description a. The area of land this water will serve is named The Peckham - Reifschneider Farm and is located approximately 3 miles south of LaSalle, Colorado. North'h of Section 14, Township 4, Range 66 West. The South Platte River runs just to the North of this location and the Western Mutual Ditch Company and the Farmers Independent Ditch Company are just off to the south west of this land location. b. See Leonard Rice Engineers, Inc. See Appendix 4 for the area study map. c. The study area is solely used for crop production. The Peckham - Reifschneider Farm is approximately 107 acres of irrigated farm land where grain corn, silage corn, wheat, onions, sugar beets and pinto beans are grown and regularly rotated. See appendix I for cropping rotations and yields. Eckhardt Farms Corporation