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<br />. <br /> <br />UPPER GUNNISON RIVER WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT <br />Mitigation Proposal <br />Page 6 of 10 pages <br /> <br />water reliably available for augmentation under the water rights currently decreed to the reservoir. 3 <br />In addition, Upper Gunnison District has obtained engineering analyses ofthe dam's condition and <br />the cost to improve the outlet structure for more reliable operation and improved access to the <br />reservoir's live storage pool and formalized the existing access easements to the dam for operation <br />and maintenance. Finally, the Upper Gunnison District has devoted significant efforts to consulting <br />with well owners and the Division Engineer to develop a plan for augmentation that meets the needs <br />of the well owners and protects the senior water rights, but is not prohibitively expensive. <br /> <br />The Upper Gunnison District's Board of Directors has conditioned closing of the purchase <br />of the reservoir upon a number of additional items, but relevant to this proposal they include (1) a <br />final decree for the Plan for Augmentation, and (2) sufficient demand for augmentation water to <br />provide full cost recovery to the District from sale of water and annual operating assessments. The <br />Upper Gunnison District is presently taking reservations for the purchase of augmentation <br />certificates, together with non-refundable deposits, to determine whether the latter condition will <br />be met. The former condition will be satisfied by acceptance of the mitigation proposal described <br />here by the CWCB.4 <br /> <br />III. PLAN FOR AUGMENTATION. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The District's objective in developing the plan for augmentation described in this proposal <br />is to provide to its constituents a source of replacement water by making it available for sale to <br />homeowners, commercial users and others needing water to augment their out-of-priority depletions, <br />especially those constituents with existing wells whose present plans for augmentation are <br />inadequate. <br /> <br />The District will sell Augmentation Certificates which will entitle the holder to have water <br />released from Meridian Lake Reservoir. The owner of an Augmentation Certificate becomes <br />entitled to the benefits of the District's plan for augmentation and will not be required to implement <br />or amend an individual plan. <br /> <br />Based upon the assumption that daily indoor household use is 350 gallons per day per <br />dwelling unit, the total annual diversion by a well for indoor household use is 0.39205 acre-feet per <br />dwelling unit.' If the dwelling unit utilizes a non-evaporative sewage disposal system, the annual <br /> <br />3 The Upper Gunnison District has filed an application for additional water rights under a <br />2002 priority which, if granted, may improve the yield of the reservoir. <br /> <br />4 Three other parties filed Statements of Oposition to the Application for Approval of Plan <br />for Augmentation, but those parties joined the case only to monitor its progress and have raised no <br />significant objections to the proposed plan. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />, For purposes of the plan for augmentation, "dwelling unit" means a structure or any part <br />of a structure designed for residential purposes having one or more rooms, not more than one kitchen <br />and at least one bathroom, that is intended for long-term occupancy by one or more persons for <br />living and sleeping purposes and that mayor may not be placed on a permanent foundation. <br />