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<br />Emergency Loan Application and Feasibility Study [LEFT HAND DITCH COMPANY] Page | 5 <br /> <br />Lake and Left Hand Valley Reservoir are located just east of the mountain front. All of the <br />reservoirs are operated by the company in a coordinated fashion with the goal for maximizing the <br />water yield to its shareholders. <br /> <br />A schematic diagram of the Company’s ditches and reservoirs is shown in Figure 1. The Company <br />service area is roughly located along Left Hand Creek from the foothills of the Front Range east to <br />Niwot, Colorado, Figure 2. <br /> <br />The service area of for the Company includes between 12,000 and 15,000 acres of irrigated farm <br />land in Boulder County, Colorado. The approximate service area boundaries are shown on the <br />map in, Figure 2, which was provided by the Company. As part of its operations the Company <br />operates and exchange agreement with the Left Hand Water District (District) whereby it stores <br />and delivers water to the District for potable water supply. Other municipal shareholders of the <br />company include the Town of Jamestown, Town of Ward, City of Boulder, <br /> <br />In supplying water to its shareholders, the Company makes delivers to the lateral headgates along <br />Left Hand Creek. The Company owns the diversion dams, headgates, ditch, and appurtenant <br />facilities down to and including the Parshall flume of each lateral diverting from Left Hand Creek. 1 <br />Below each Parshall Flume, the individual lateral ditch company assumes ownership, maintenance <br />and operations responsibility. <br /> <br />Diversions from the St. Vrain Creek are recorded for about 11 years under a gage located on the <br />ditch (LEFTHDCO, 1992-2002, approximately 13,000 ac-ft per year, on average) and as a release <br />from the Left Hand Diversion Point (0502000, 1993-2002, approximately 15,000 ac-ft per year, on <br />average). The monthly release data are generally the same as the gage data except more diversions <br />are listed during the shoulder seasons (May and October) under the release data.2 <br /> <br />Damage from September 2013 Floods <br /> <br />The extraordinary flooding that began on September 11, 2013 brought massive damage to the Left <br />Hand Ditch System, wiping out major portions of the system and severely damaging others. When <br />the extent of damage became apparent, the Board of Directors issued a resolution declaring an <br />emergency flooding disaster within the company system (Appendix F, attached). On October 2, <br />2013 the Company, with assistance from staff of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, <br />surveyed the damage to the Left Hand Ditch Company system. The damage identified during and <br />subsequent to that assessment includes the following: <br /> <br />Left Hand Creek Parshall Flume and Recorder Station <br />• This is assumed to be a 100% loss. The company has not had the ability to access the site <br />and it is known to be in an area of massive damage to the Left Hand Canyon Road <br />1 An exception to this is the Haldi Diversion which is maintained and operated by the Left Hand Water District by <br />contract with the Company. 2 Source of this paragraph is SPDSS Memorandum,Final, January 5, 2005, From: LRE – Rick Parsons and Erin Wilson, <br />To: Ray Alvarado and Ray Bennett, Subject: Task 5 – Key Diversion Structures, Left Hand Ditch System <br />