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Emergency Loan Application and Feasibility Study Oligarchy Irrigation Company Project Background During the unprecedented flood of September 2103 in the tributaries of the South Platte River, a significant number of diversion structures and darns along the river corridor were damaged. The _., _ Project rep air/rehabilitation proposed iigjhis,Feasibility Study received significant damage as a r -esuit of-- the flood TT- he- 01ig- ar -chy- Ditch- clivemion- structure w.a_s_owned- anal- operate.d_by the Oligarchy Irrigation Company (Company), a Colorado Non - profit Mutual Irrigation Ditch Company. The original appropriation and construction of the Oligarchy Ditch was June 1, 1866. The Company was incorporated in 1907 and has three hundred shares of ditch company stock. Water diverted at the structure was used by the shareholders for agricultural and irrigation of municipal parks, and schools. The Oligarchy Ditch headgate is the decreed point of diversion for McIntosh Reservoir and Union Reservoir, the water from which are used for irrigation and other purposes. The Oligarchy Ditch is approximately 15 miles long. The damaged diversion structure had portions built in 1913 and portions built or rebuilt in 1957. Pre -flood there was a buttressed concrete dam across the river to provide head for the diversion. In an adjacent, connected concrete headgate structure there was a sand gate and two headgates to regulate the flow diverted into the Oligarchy Ditch (up to approximately 100 cfs). Pre - flood, the sand gate had been retro fitted with a Rubicon flumegate which allowed flows bypassing the Oligarchy diversion to be controlled and measured. Finally, there was a flow regulating or "bypass" gate in the ditch between the river diversion and the Oligarchy Ditch measuring flume. Post- flood, a small portion of the diversion darn and right abutment of that structure remain in place, though it is not clear if they have been undermined. The remainder of the diversion dam was destroyed when it collapsed into a scour hole in the river. Likewise, the sand gate portion of the headgate structure collapsed into the river. It is not yet clear, but the Rubicon flurnegate. may be partially salvageable. The remainder of the headgate structure with the two headgates controlling the diversion into the ditch was destroyed and by emergency action fill material was placed where the headgates collapsed, in order to prevent further flooding down the Oligarchy Ditch. Likewise, during the flooding, the regulating or "bypass" gate was torn out from its structure (which remains) to alleviate pressure and mitigate further damage downstream in the ditch. The ditch itself and the measuring structure were largely undamaged by the flood though they may require some cleanup. Water Fights The water rights impacted by this project include: