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Feasibility of the Rehabilitation of the Bijou Irrigation District Diversion Structure Project Sponsor The Bijou Irrigation District (Bijou) is an irrigation district located in northeast Colorado utilizing waters of the South Platte River. Bijou was formed under and is governed by state statute, specifically C.R.S. Title 37 - Articles 41, 42 and 43. Bijou receives the majority of its irrigation water through its ownership of the Empire Reservoir. Bijou can fill Empire Reservoir under a 1905 decree and a 1929 refill decree. The reservoir can be filled through the Empire inlet canal which has capacity to divert 575 cubic feet of water per second of time from the South Platte River, at a headgate located about 3 miles East of Kersey, Colorado. Water from Empire Reservoir is delivered to the lands of the district through the Bijou Canal. The Bijou Canal is owned and operated by the Bijou Irrigation Company of which Bijou Irrigation District is the majority stockholder. Based on the State Engineer's diversion records from 1989 through 2005, Bijou has had an average annual diversion of 50,970 acre feet for all water diverted into Empire Reservoir. The State Engineer's diversion records are found in Appendix A. Project Service Area The service area is located primarily in Morgan County, from about 9 miles Northwest of Fort Morgan to about 5 miles South of Fort Morgan on the south side of the South Platte River. Bijou water is tied to 19,176.84 specific irrigated lands of the district. The water is typically used to irrigate corn, alfalfa, beans, and sugar beets. Empire Reservoir is not located in the district but is adjacent to the district in Weld County. A map showing the reservoir and the general district boundaries is found in Appendix B. Feasibi.�:.ity Study Bijou lrrigation District Diversion Structure June 2007 1