PUB00101

• Year: 1994
• Title: Fort Lyon Canal Company Water Transfer Alternatives Study - Final Report
• CWCB Section: Finance
• Author: Gronning Engineering
• Description: Analysis of the alternative approaches to, and the results of the transfer of agricultural water supplies from the Ft. Lyon Canal Company to alternative uses
• Publications - Doc Type: Brochure

3.5 Historical Diversions and Water Supplv

Boyle Engineering with the assistance of Duane Helton compiled the historical diversions and water
supply yield for the Ft. Lyon Canal Company as a part of the Kansas vs. Colorado litigation. Their
summaries which were developed for the Arkansas Basin utilized four stream reaches. The Fl. Lyon
Canal and its irrigated land lie within Reach 3 (Pueblo Dam to John Martin Dam) and Reach 4
(John Martin Dam to the Colorado-Kansas stateIine) of the Boyle study area. The data are
summarized for the entire Ft. Lyon system. As described previously Ft. Lyon Canal Company
receives water from the Arkansas River, Horse Creek Reservoir, Adobe Creek Reservoir and Queen
Reservoir. The average annual yield of these diversions for the years 1950-1985 from the Boyle
study are presented in Table 3.5.

Table 3.5 Fort Lyon Canal Company Historical Diversions

Source

Average Annual Diversions
Acre-Feet
1950-1985

190,991

7,573

11,443

1,590

211 ,597

Arkansas River direct flow rights

Horse Creek Reservoir I

Adobe Creek Reservoir I

Queen Reservoir I

TOTAL ALL SOURCES

I Delivery to FOrl Lyon Canal

Monthly tabulations of the water supply for the Fl. Lyon Company system from the Arkansas River,
Horse Creek Reservoir, Adobe Creek Reservoir, and Queen Reservoir are presented in Table AJ.3
of Appendix 3. Fryingpan-Arkansas project water allocation as well as any minor sources of supply
such as annual leases are included in the direct flow water right tabulation. An annual summary of
water supplies available by source is shown in Table 3.6. The average system yield in Table 3.4 is
211,597 acre-feet and the total surface supply ranges from 94,145 to 383,056 acre feet annually over
the 1950 to 1985 period.

For the purpose of determining yield, data in the surface column of Table 3.6 is analyzed in an
empirical distribution with 36 data points. The result is presented in Figure 3.2. The probability,
also termed reliability, of divertable yield is determined. For example, the ninety percent (P = 1.0-
.90 = 0.1) reliable annual flow is about 110,000 af per year; i.e., a minimum flow of 110,000 af
annually should be available 90 percent of the time.

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