C150402 CT2015-090 Feasibility Study

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Feasibility Study For REHABILITATION OF THE EPHRAIM CORE&DIVERSION AT THE CONEJOS RIVER CONFLUENCE PROJECT SPONSOR Ephraim Ditch Company is a Colorado Mutual Ditch Company, incorporated in 1927 as a nonprofit corporation. Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws for the company are included in Appendix D. The Company has operated continuously since its inception and has not changed from its original purpose of providing water for irrigation. The Company's 88 stockholders divert water out of the Conejos River, in Water District No. 22, with priority 56 and a decree for 47 cfs, irrigating approximately 5,000 acres, as shown on the attached map. Figure 1 is a map of the system. The stockholders in the Company own water through their stock in the Ephraim Ditch Company, with water delivered through the Ephraim Ditch system. Support-The Conejos Water Conservancy District (CWCD or the District) plays a critical role in the management of flows on the Conejos River and its tributaries, ensuring that sufficient quantities of water are available to meet agricultural needs within the District and to satisfy Colorado's obligation to the Rio Grande Compact. A Collaborative Project: The Ephraim Ditch Company, with support from the District, is also collaborating with neighboring ditch companies to participate in the Conejos Whole River Strategy, a proactive and integrated process which combines structural upgrades, web-based SCADA water management technologies, and greatly improved ditch management practices. Grant Funding:The CWCB Water Supply Reserve Account grant application which accompanies this loan was approved by the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable on August 13, 2013. As explained in that proposal, the Ephraim Ditch Company joined with Sanford Canal Company and East Bend Ditch, with assistance from the Conejos Water Conservancy District,to request WSRA grant funds for each of the three projects. This Loan Feasibility Study and the accompanying loan application signify the commitment of Ephraim Ditch Company to complete the Rehabilitation of the Ephraim Core and Diversion Project. PROJECT SERVICE AREA The Ephraim Ditch Company service area starts at the point where the main stem of the Conejos, the north branch of the Conejos, and the San Antonio River converge. As can be seen in the attached photo, a highly complex landscape of shifting flows and a maze of meandering streams, ponds, and wetlands is created by these two rivers as they come together, converging also with the north branch of the Conejos.This area, known as The Confluence of the Conejos, is located only 12 miles from the point where Colorado releases its water to the Rio Grande Compact's downstream states of New Mexico,Texas, and the country of Mexico. 7 Prepared by the Conejos Water Conservancy District, P.O. Box 550, Manassa,CO 81141 Per contract: Nicole V.Langley,Transforma Research&Design(www.transformagrants.com)