BOARD01567

• Board Meeting Date: 5/1/1975
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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above streambed. . The top of the blue line represents the full reservoir
with a surface area of 551 acres and a depth of 157 feet. The top of
the yellow line shows the average August 1 water level with a surface
area of 436 acres and a water depth of 146 feet. The top of the brown
line is the maximum drawdown or top of the inactive storage with a
surface area of 281 acres and a water depth of 130 feet. Maximum draw-
down would be 27 feet.

The irrigation water for Log Hill Mesa would be delivered to these lands
in a closed pressure pipe system for application by sprinkler methods .
and utilizing irrigation scheduling techniques. A total of 4,500 acres
w~u1d be irrigated on Log Hill Mesa, including 3,880 acres of new full
service land and 620 acres of land in need of additional water. These
measures are planned for water conservation, but they would also be
ef~ective in increasing crop yields and decreasing salt contributions
t~f the Colorado River. Proper use of sprinkler systems would eliminate
excess use of water and would reduce the amount of water lost through
deep percolation and surface runoff.

The fields in the foreground are presently irrigated but with a very
inadequate supply. Other lands for the most part are not irrigated and
many remain in their native vegetation.

Here is another view of potential farm land. Surrounding this farmstead
are fields of irrigated crops, dry land wheat, and areas of native pinion.
juniper cover. This is one of the abandoned farmsteads on the mesa
typifying the problems resulting from the lack of water in the area.
Shown here is a close-up view of some of the pinion-juniper lands used
for livestock grazing and deer range. This Log Hill Mesa land has been
chained and planted to crested wheatgrass.

This land has also been chained but left in native grass. Both of these
~reas would receive project water under the present plan. This mobile
home is part of the residential development taking place on Log Hill
Mesa. The field in the foreground is irrigated in early spring but lacks
an adequate water supply later in the growing season.

The part of Log Hill Mesa shown here, on the right, is the area to be
developed by Log Hill Mesa community, which would receive project water.
To the left would be the dam axis for Ridgway Reservoir. A dam at this
location would create a reservoir in this general area. The reservoir
would normally fill in June and reach its low point the following March.
Highway 550 would be relocated east of the reservoir, and it is contem-
plated the railroad would be abandoned. Project water would be avail-
able at the reservoir or released to the Uncompahgre River for irrigation,
municipal and industrial use downstream and to maintain and enhance the
fishery in the river. Approximately 232,600 visitor days of recreation
use annually was projected at the reservoir.

This diagram of Ridgway Reservoir depicts conditions with a dam height
of 263 feet above streambed. The top of the red represents a full
reservoir with a surface area of 1,391 acres and a water depth of 248
feet. The top of the orange represents the average August 1 water level

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