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~. Pine River Irrigation District January 26-27. 2000 Agenda Item 10e. , Water Riahts .. PRID's main water right is for Vallecito Reservoir decreed for 129,674 acre-feet with a 1966 ., adjudication date and a 1935 appropriation date. The purposes of the water rights include "irrigation, domestic, stock water, and other beneficial purposes". The PRID also has 12 water rights that were originally for the irrigation ditches in the reservoir, which have been converted to reservoir storage; the ditches total 44.875 cfs. Need for the Proiect La Plata County in general, and the service area of the proposed VWC in particular, has experienced significant growth in the past seven years. The County population is presently about 40,000 people and is expected to grow to at least 59,000 people in the next 20 years. The increased population is not distributed proportionately throughout the County but is more concentrated in the proposed service area due to better roads, more suitable topography for development, more available private land, and the availability of irrigation water. The increased population in the proposed service area has resulted in greater demands being placed on ground water supplies. Growth in the eastern portion of the County has been in the 8% to 10% per year range for the past 4 or 5 years. Most residents are using groundwater resources that have limited quantities or poor quality. Residents in sorne parts of the proposed service area report declining water tables, with some wells going dry. Many rural residents are forced to "haul" their domestic water supply. In November 1996, the Company sent out a survey to property owners in the proposed service area to inform them of the formation of the VWC and to inquire about their specific water needs. Of the 360 responses, 41 were hauling water (13%), 73 were experiencing water quantity _ problems (23%), 51 experienced water quality problems (16%), 31 did not yet have a water ., source (10%), and 128 had no problems (38%). The eastern half of La Plata County is a water critical area, meaning that all of the native water in the basins is used during certain periods, varying from 1 to 12 months per year. There is essentially no additional water in the basin to be utilized without a new reservoir or importing water. Water Quality issues Many of the wells in the proposed service area yield water with substances such as selenium, arsenic, methane, and hydrogen sulfide at levels hazardous to human health. Others suffer from poor quality resulting from high dissolved solids. Studies of the ground water resources in this area have found selenium occurring at levels as much as 1,300 times the U.S.E.PA recommended limit Selenium can be highly toxic with symptoms of poisoning that include nervousness, vomiting, loss of hair and fingernails, and hypertension. High selenium concentrations in water on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation have reportedly caused poisoning of humans. Parts of this reservation are included in the proposed service area. Studies have also found locally occurring levels of arsenic as much as 6 times the recommended limit Arsenic is poisonous, does not break down, and can be fatal if ingested at high enough levels. It is carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic and can affect the central nervous system. tit 2