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The irrigated land is gradually being converted to sprinkler irrigation from gravity irrigation <br /> which reduces labor costs and stretches the water supply. In 1995, about 640 acres is sprinkler <br /> irrigated and 500 acres is gravity irrigated. The total of 1,140 acres receives an average of about <br /> 50% of the 4,264 acre-foot average annual water requirement. With the enlarged reservoir, the <br /> 1,140 acres will receive an average of 88% of the 4,264 acre-foot requirement. <br /> If the trend to convert to sprinkler irrigation continues, the enlarged Red Mesa Reservoir could <br /> improve the historic situation of a 54% supply for 1,140 acres to a full supply for 1,360 acres <br /> (average annual supply), but is still not enough water to serve the potential 1,600 acres under the <br /> three ditches. In short, there is greater demand for irrigation water under the three ditches than <br /> there is water that can be supplied by the enlarged reservoir. <br /> 2.3 Domestic Water: The reservoir enlargement will also provide a domestic water supply for an <br /> area that presently does not have domestic water except for wells that are generally low <br /> production or low quality. Much of the domestic water for homes in the area is hauled from a <br /> spring near the small community of Marvel. LaPlata County has a long term goal to develop <br /> rural domestic water systems using surface water sources to reduce the dependency on <br /> insufficient and poor quality ground water supplies. <br /> The reservoir enlargement includes 330 shares of domestic water that can be used for plans of <br /> augmentation or a direct supply to a rural water system. For plans of augmentation, each share <br /> would augment one single family well up to a total of 330 homes. If the water were used directly <br /> from the reservoir in a rural water system, one share would serve about 2 homes for a total of <br /> about 660 homes. <br /> There is presently about 5 shares of the Red Mesa Reservoir used for augmentation of domestic <br /> wells. Due to the operation of the reservoir, these shares cannot provide augmentation water all <br /> of the time; the new domestic shares will be operated in a manner to provide a year round <br /> domestic supply directly or for augmentation. <br /> The Company is not constrained by boundaries and since the demand for domestic water in the <br /> irrigated area is small (mostly farm land), the potential service area for the domestic water <br /> includes most of the LaPlata River basin and areas adjoining the basin. <br /> 5 <br />