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The Camp Ranch Recharge Facility will be constructed at the Camp Ranch. The <br />recharge facility will allow water to be delivered through the Wm. Craig Ditch to the <br />structure. Water will then recharge the Huerfano River alluvium and flow through the <br />subsurface geologic materials in order to provide augmentation water to the stream and to <br />maintain historical non irrigation season return flows while initially meeting and later <br />minimizing the use of the Red Wing Augmentation Pond as a source of augmentation <br />water replacements and non - irrigation season return flows. <br />The conversion of the Mapes Well No. 1 to an augmentation well will allow HCWCD to <br />pump groundwater directly to the Huerfano River if and when necessary to cover the <br />replacement of any instantaneous depletion owed to the Huerfano River. Depletions <br />from pumping the Mapes Well No. I will then be lagged utilizing acceptable engineering <br />calculations. Any and all resulting depletions from the Mapes Well can and will be <br />replaced by releases from either the Red Wing Augmentation Pond and /or accretions <br />from the Camp Ranch Recharge Facility. <br />In addition to the project improvements, HCWCD will purchase the Camp Ranch land <br />and water rights. HCWCD will proceed to water court to receive approval to change the <br />water rights that have historically been used for irrigation of the Camp Ranch so that <br />those rights can be utilized as a source of augmentation throughout the project area. <br />2.4.1 Analysis of Alternatives <br />This project has been designed to provide a reliable source of augmentation water for <br />domestic, municipal, commercial, school, industrial and agricultural HCWCD lands that <br />are located in the Huerfano River basin within the boundary of Huerfano County. <br />Purchasing adequate water rights combined with construction of a recharge facility and a <br />storage reservoir (augmentation pond) was the only feasible alternative that would allow <br />HCWCD the ability to store transferred water rights and to subsequently release the <br />stored water to the stream system (Huerfano River) in such a manner that it will replace <br />out of priority depletions for water users located within the HCWCD boundary. Other <br />structural improvements, including construction of a recharge structure (recharge facility) <br />and equipping an augmentation well (existing Mapes No. 1 Well) on the existing irrigated <br />Camp Ranch will benefit the project because these structures will be used to initially <br />meet the non - irrigation season replacement requirements and return flow obligations, <br />maximize the efficiency of the regional augmentation plan, and to insure that HCWCD <br />prevents material injury to senior water rights. <br />Alternatives considered include: <br />1. The "do nothing" alternative <br />2. Condemnation of water rights alterative <br />3. Camp Ranch Water Rights and Red Wing Augmentation Pond <br />Alternative No. 1 — The "Do Nothing" alternative is considered unacceptable. The <br />Arkansas River is an over - appropriated stream system and water in the Huerfano River is <br />12 <br />