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CWCB Construction Fund Loan Application <br /> No_4 Please provide a brief description of the owner's existing water supply facilities and <br /> describe any existing operational or maintenance prohlems_ Attach separate.cheers if <br /> needed,and a map of the service area <br /> The Fort Morgan Reservoir and Irrigation Company diverts water from the south side of the <br /> South Platte River for both irrigation and augmentation purposes. Water deliveries are made <br /> through the Fort Morgan Canal to recharge sites and irrigation of lands lying south of the South <br /> Platte River between Weldona and Brush, Colorado. FMRICo delivers irrigation water to <br /> approximately 15,000 acres of irrigated land and also operates a recharge and augmentation plan <br /> that provides augmentation water for approximately 90 wells for agricultural irrigation. In <br /> addition to many farmers, shareholders include the City of Fort Morgan,the City of Brush, <br /> Western Sugar Cooperative and XCEL Energy. <br /> A major operational drawback is the inability of FMRICo to divert water through the canal during the <br /> freezing winter months. This limits the potential to retime excess water that FMRICo is legally entitled <br /> to through its augmentation operations. <br /> FMRICo has an operational agreement concerning its recharge and augmentation project with <br /> Groves Farms, LLC, which is a family farming corporation also located in Morgan County. Since <br /> 2003, Groves has been developing its own augmentation plan to replace depletions caused by well <br /> pumping. Groves plan includes augmentation ponds that will be utilized in this project. <br /> No_5 Please provide a brief narrative description of the proposed project including purpose, <br /> need,facilities,type of water uses to he served and service area <br /> FMRICo, with Groves Farms' cooperation, has designed a structural water project to both re- <br /> divert and re-time augmentation credits from more senior recharge projects at certain times when <br /> they are not needed for direct augmentation use and to divert water under junior water rights <br /> when available for recharge and augmentation use. While conducting these water supply <br /> operations, this project will be very beneficial to wintering and migrating waterfowl in the South <br /> Platte watershed. <br /> This project will directly help sustain approximately 16,000 acres of irrigated agriculture in Morgan <br /> County, an area that has been hard hit by augmentation shortages. It will provide wildlife habitat <br /> benefits through water access at the recharge ponds while they have water in them. The ponds are <br /> located in the"golden triangle"between Riverside Reservoir,Empire Reservoir, and Jackson Lake, <br /> which is a well-known area of importance for waterfowl and related wildlife. <br /> 5 <br />