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Santa Maria Reservoir Company <br />September 13, 2013 (Updated September 26, 2013) <br />Page 2 of 7 <br />Agenda Item 29b <br />Background <br />The Company provides irrigation water to approximately 70,000 acres in Rio Grande, Saguache, <br />Conejos, and Alamosa Counties, in the San Luis Valley. The Company owns and operates two <br />reservoirs: Santa Maria and Continental. The reservoirs are located in Hinsdale and Mineral <br />Counties, about 20 miles southwest of the Town of Creede. Santa Maria receives regulated <br />discharges from Continental through a century old conveyance system comprised of a pipeline, <br />siphon and an open ditch. <br />Santa Maria was constructed in 1910 and has a design capacity of 43,500 acre -feet (AF). It stores <br />irrigation water, Rio Grande compact water, San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District water, <br />Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife water, transmountain water, and provides flood control. <br />Continental was also designed in 1910 and was constructed between 1925 and 1928 with a design <br />capacity of 27,000 AF; however, due to seepage and spillway deterioration, for the past 20 years it <br />has been limited by the SEO to a storage capacity of 15,000 AF. <br />In September of 2008, the Company was awarded $191,700 in WSRA grants ($50,000 from the Rio <br />Grande Basin Account and $141,700 from the Statewide Account) to conduct a Feasibility Study <br />and final design plans and specifications of needed improvements including: Continental Reservoir, <br />the conveyance system, and Santa Maria Reservoir. As a result of the work, the Company plans on <br />improving its system in two phases. Phase I was the rehabilitation of the conveyance system <br />between the reservoirs. This Project is Phase II and will address the Continental Reservoir <br />rehabilitation. <br />In March of 2013, the Company was approved for a $1,391,250 loan and $463,750 in WSRA grants <br />($23,000 from the Rio Grande Basin Account and $440,750 from the Statewide Account) to <br />rehabilitate the conveyance system between the reservoirs. <br />Loan Feasibility Study <br />Ed Toms, P.E. of URS Corporation prepared the Loan Feasibility Study, titled "Phase 2 — Santa <br />Maria Rehabilitation Initiative, Continental Dam Rehabilitation Project" dated July 1, 2013. The <br />Study was prepared in accordance with CWCB guidelines and includes preliminary engineering and <br />an engineer's estimate of probable cost that were used in determination of the total Project cost. <br />Borrower - The Santa Maria Reservoir Company <br />The Company is a Mutual Reservoir Company, incorporated in 1931. It is registered with the <br />Colorado Secretary of State as a nonprofit corporation and is in good standing. The Company is <br />governed by a five- member board of directors. There are 250 shareholders with a total of 5,400 <br />shares of stock. The board has the ability to take on debt and to withhold delivery of water to <br />stockholders if assessments are unpaid. Shareholders must also approve annual assessments. If <br />shareholders fail to set an assessment, the Board of Directors has the power to set assessments to <br />provide for the maintenance and operation and to pay any indebtedness of the Company. <br />