BOARD01354

• Board Meeting Date: 3/16/2004
• Description: CF Section - Changes to Existing Loans - Owl Creek Reservoir Company, Owl Creek Reservoir Rehabilitation Project
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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. STATE OF COLORADO

. Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

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Memorandum

Bill Owens
Governor

Russell George
Executive Director

TO:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

Tim Feehan, P.E., prOjec:EM ~r
Mike Serlet, P.E., Chief,
Water Supply Planning and' ce Section

Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director

FROM:

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

DATE:

March 4, 2004

SUBJECT:

Agenda Item No. 26b, March 16-17, 2004, Board Meeting
Water Supply, Planning and Finance - Changes to Existing Loans
Owl Creek Reservoir Company, Owl Creek Reservoir Rehabilitation Project

.

INTRODUCTION
The Owl Creek Reservoir Company is requesting an increase of$1,575,000 to the Company's 2001
authorization of $1, 125,000 to rehabilitate Owl Creek Reservoir. The requested loan increase is due to
additional design fees, increasing the reservoir capacity from 1,200 to 1,750 acre-feet, and under-
estimated construction costs during preliminary design.

BACKGROUND
At the November 2001 board meeting, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) approved a loan
to the Owl Creek Reservoir Company in the amount of$1,125,000 from the Construction Fund. The
$1,125,000 loan was for the rehabilitation of the Owl Creek Reservoir existing dam and spillway, and to
increase the storage of the reservoir from approximately 800 acre-feet to 1,200 acre-feet. The Owl Creek
Reservoir Company has decided at this time, however, that it would be in their best interest to increase the
storage capacity to the amount of the full storage right available, 1,750 acre-feet, while the reservoir is
being rehabilitated.

Owl Creek Reservoir is located in Weld County, Colorado, approximately 6 miles east and 3 miles north
of the Town of Ault. The reservoir is more specifically located in Sections 25 and 36, Township 8
North, Range 65 West, of the 6th Principal Meridan.

. The reservoir was originally constructed in 1896 to store water for irrigation. The source of water for
the reservoir is generated from surface runoff from the Owl Creek basin, which is comprised of the
Eastman, Little Owl, and Robinson Creeks tributaries, encompassing over 160 square miles of drainage
area. The average flow in Owl Creek ranges from 1 to 10 cfs. The dam was originally constructed of a