CT2015-022 Increase Approval Letter

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Greeley and Loveland Irrigation Company Consent Agenda Item 1a November 18-19, 2015 Board Meeting (Updated November 20, 2015) Page 2 of 5 Background The Company's service area includes approximately 14,000 acres of farm land in Larimer and Weld Counties extending from Loveland east to the cities of Greeley and Evans. The Company has an extensive irrigation system consisting of two diversions from the Big Thompson River (Big Barnes Ditch diversion and Greeley and Loveland Canal diversion), canals, and a total of nine reservoirs. Of these reservoirs, the Company owns four and the Seven Lakes Reservoir Company (Seven Lakes) owns five. Seven Lakes is a reservoir company that uses the Company's irrigation system and operates in conjunction with the Company to afford greater use of the water. Boyd Lake, owned by the Company, is the largest reservoir in the irrigation system and has a surface area of 1,750 acres with a storage capacity of 48,871 AF. The reservoir was constructed around 1905 and has a Class 1 embankment dam with a dam height of 40 ft and a crest length of 10,729 ft. In 2006, the spillway was upgraded from a natural Swale to a labyrinth spillway and discharges into the Greeley and Loveland Canal (CWCB Loan C150161). Boyd Lake has a low-level and a high-level outlet. The high- level outlet is believed to be the original outlet structure. Only three of the original six gates were operational, and the outlet leaked significantly when all gates were fully closed. Horseshoe Lake, owned by Seven Lakes, has a surface area of 650 acres and a storage capacity of 8,115 AF. The reservoir was constructed around 1902 and has two dams. Horseshoe No. 1 Dam is the southernmost dam and has a low-level outlet that discharges into Heinricy Lake. Horseshoe No. 2 Dam is north of No. 1 Dam and has a low-level outlet and a spillway that discharges into Boyd Lake. This Project increases the conveyance capability from Horseshoe Lake into Boyd Lake from 200 cfs to 1,100 cfs by adding a high-level outlet to the spillway, removing a significant water conveyance bottleneck within the Company's irrigation system. Water Rights Tables 1 and 2 list the Company's direct flow and storage rights. This project will not require any additional water rights or water supplies. TABLE 1: DIRECT FLOW WATER RIGHTS Name Amount (CFS) Appropriation Date Adjudication Date Big Barnes Ditch j 18.56 10/20/1865 8/28/1883 Louden Irrigation Canal Company 40.00 10/01/1871 5/28/1883 Chubbuck Ditch 39.04 10/20/1870 5/28/1883 Chubbuck Ditch 35.5 10/25/1873 5/28/1883 Chubbuck Ditch 8.36 11/01/1865 5/28/1883 Louden Irrigation Canal Company 123.00 11/01/1877 5/28/1883 Chubbuck Ditch 15.20 11/01/1878 5/28/1883 Louden Irrigation Canal Company 7.00 11/10/1861 5/28/1883 Greeley and Loveland Canal 297.44 4/01/1881 5/28/1883 Big Barnes Ditch 12.06 6/01/1867 5/28/1883 Big Barnes Ditch 1 19.93 6/23/1873 5/28/1883 Louden Irrigation Canal Company 0.008 9/17/1883 5/29/1884