BOARD01619

• Board Meeting Date: 5/19/2003
• Description: CF Section - New Loans - Pine River-Bayfiled Ditch Company - Siphon Replacement 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, (303) 866,4474
www.cwcb.state.co.us

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

TO:

Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

Bruce Johnson, P.E.~ ~
Mike Serlet, P.E., Chief.
Water Supply Planning a Cl Finance Section

FROM:

Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

DATE: May 7, 2003

SUBJECT: Agenda Item 18c, May 19-20, 2003 Board Meeting
Water Supply Planning and Finance Section - New Loans
Pine River-Bayfield Ditch Company - Siphon Replacement Project

Introduction

The Pine River-Bayfield Ditch Company (PRBDC) is applying for a $200,000 Small Project Loan from
the Construction Fund to replace their 2300 foot long Beaver Creek siphon. The estimated total cost of ,
the project is $267,000. Please see the attached project summary and map.

Backaround

The PRBDC provides irrigation water to a 2,596-acre service area, generally south of the Town of
Bayfield in La Plata County. The Pine River Bayfield Ditch is a lateral extending off of the Schroder
Ditch which flows from the Pine River and Vallecito Reservoir. PRBDC is a carrier ditch for
shareholders owning Pine River water rights and Pine River Irrigation District water shares. All
water carried is agricultural water with irrigated acreage in the service area primarily used for
livestock pasture (cattle ranching) and hay production. The service area includes tribal lands of the
Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the largest shareholder on the ditch. Typical shareholder acreages vary
in size, with some 10-20 acre tracts, some 40-60 acre farms, and some 200 to 300 acre farms.
There are 51 shareholders. The PRBDC headgate is located east of the Town of Bayfield, above
Beaver Creek. In addition to the 2300 foot siphon, the Company maintains approximately 10.5
miles of unlined ditch, with approximately 60-70 headgates.

From the headgate, the ditch flows through a concrete flume and into the Beaver Creek siphon, a
32-inch diameter steel pipe siphon, 2300 feet in length, The siphon drops an estimated 100 feet in
elevation as it runs under Beaver Creek, and extends about 250 feet up the rocky hill on the east
side. Pieces of the original wood and wire siphon, probably built around 1915, can still be seen
along the siphon route. The current siphon was built in 1955-1957, with a design life of 30 years.
It is now nearly 50 years old and in severely deteriorated condition, The steel has oxidized to the

Flood Protection. Water Supply Planning and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Co:nservation and Drought Planning