Tri County 1996 WCPlan - Laserfiche WebLink

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) The District has agreements for purchase of municipal, industrial and irrigation water uses by 5 other entities (Cities of Montrose and Delta, Town of Olathe, and Chipeta and Menoken Water Companies) and has secured water rights to provide for future domestic water needs plus any excess addressed in the contract with Reclamation. In the late 1980's, the District entered into a contract with Reclamation for the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit Winter Stock Water Replacement Program. The purpose of this program was to reduce salt loading to the Colorado River System by replacing winter flows in irrigation canals and laterals with domestic water. The Uncompahgre Project area annually contributes an estimated 360,000 tons of salt to the Colorado River System. Surface water enters the ground water system and dissolves salts as it passes through the saline Mancos Formation soils. The salts are picked up in the Uncompahgre and Gunnison Rivers and eventually transported to the Colorado River. ) The primary component of this project would replace winter flows throughout the Uncompahgre Valley that is currently used as a source of winter stock water by the farmers and ranchers. This portion of the program eliminates 74,000 tons of salt annually from the Colorado River System. The District's portion of this program was funded for $5,750,000 and was completed in 1994. Under the terms of the contract, the District administered the construction of the upgrades and additions to the District's water distribution system to meet the demands of the stock watering and eliminated the existing stock water delivered through the canal system of the Uncompahgre Project during the non-irrigation season. INVENTORY: Total Taps - 5300 Domestic & Residential - 99% Commercial & Industrial - 1% - -----t>j.pe 525 miles Finished Water Storage - 7,800,000 gallons ) 2