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Feasibility of the Installation <br /> of a <br /> Pump and Pipeline to Deliver Raw Water <br /> from <br /> The Vallecito Dam Outlet Tunnel <br /> to a <br /> Domestic Water Treatment Plant <br /> Project Sponsor <br /> The Pine River Irrigation District (PRID) was formed under the Laws of Colorado for Irrigation <br /> Districts. Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws are included in Appendix A. <br /> PRID operates Vallecito Dam and Reservoir on the Pine River about 15 miles north of the Town <br /> of Bayfield. The Vallecito Dam is an earthfill structure, constructed by the Bureau of <br /> Reclamation in the 1940's. The dam forms a reservoir which has a 125,000 acre-foot active <br /> capacity. The dam is in excellent condition, no improvements are required at the present time or <br /> in the foreseeable future. <br /> PRID releases water from the Vallecito Reservoir through contractual arrangements with private <br /> irrigation ditches and individual augmentation plans, when the water rights of the entities are not <br /> in priority. One sixth of the capacity of the reservoir is reserved for the Southern Ute Indian <br /> Tribe. <br /> There is about 45,000 acres of land served by PRID, each acre of land has one share so there is <br /> about 45,000 shares and about 500 share holders in the District. The PRID officers are elected at <br /> an annual shareholders meeting held each January or February. <br /> Project Service Area <br /> The service area of PRID is the Pine River Valley and the Florida River basin east of the Florida <br /> River which are in eastern LaPlata County; and the Sambrito Creek drainage in the southwest <br /> corner of Archuleta County. Irrigated crops primarily consist of alfalfa hay, pasture, and some <br /> corn,pinto beans and wheat. <br /> Need for the Project <br /> The eastern half of LaPlata County, primarily including the Pine and Florida River basins are <br /> water critical areas, which means that all of the water in the basis is used during certain periods <br /> which vary from 1 to 12 months. There is essentially no additional water in the basin to be <br /> utilized without a new reservoir or importing water, neither of these options are feasible. Growth <br /> in the eastern portion of the County has been in the 8% to 10% per year range for the past 4 or 5 <br /> years, most of which are using groundwater resources that have limited quantities or poor quality. <br /> 1 <br />