BOARD02367

• Board Meeting Date: 5/23/2005
• Description: CF Section - Changes to Existing Loans Stromberger Land & Cattle Company, Well Augmentation/Recharge 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]

Memorandum

Bill Owens
Governor

TO:

Colorado Water Conservation Boar

Russell George
Executive Director

FROM:

Tim Feehan, P.E., Project M
Mike Serlet, P.E., Chief,
Water Supply Planning and

Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

DATE: May 10, 2005

SUBJECT: Agenda Item No. 14, May 24-25, 2005, Board Meeting
Water Supply Planning and Finance - Changes to Existing Loans
Stromberger Land & Cattle Company, Well Augmentation/Recharge Project

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INTRODUCTION
The Stromberger Land and Cattle Company is requesting an increase of $59,000 to their
November 2002 authorization of $414,000 for the Stromberger Augmentation Plan. The
requested loan increase is due to cost overruns incurred during construction of the project.

BACKGROUND
At the November 2002 board meeting, the Colorado Water Conservation Board approved a loan to
the Stromberger Land and Cattle Company in the amount of $4 I 4,000, from the Construction Fund.
The $414,000 loan authorization was for the construction of the Stromberger Land and Cattle
. ...u.Company Augmentation Plan, consisting of six recharge wells, one augmentation well, various
recharge sites, and 19,685 linear feet of 18 and 21 inch PVC Pipe.

The Stromberger Farm is located in Logan County, approximately 15 miles north of Sterling, near
the Town of Iliff. The farm is located along the south side of the South Platte River adjacent to 1-
76, crossing ten sections of land. The Stromberger's have approximately 1,923 acres of farmland
irrigated by 12 tributary groundwater wells, which were drilled in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
These 12 wells have an annual depletion of approximately 5,000 acre-feet.

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With no ties to a ditch or reservoir system, the Strombergers are completely dependent on their 12
wells, which have a very junior water right. For the past 30 years the Strombergers relied on GASP
to cover their annual depletions. Based on GASP's indications to their members that future
coverage of annual depletions could no longer be guaranteed, the Strombergers elected to pursue the
construction of their own individual augmentation system to cover their annual depletions. The
Strombergers are a member of the Lower Logan Well Users, The augmentation credits that are
generated by the Stormbergers on an annual basis are pledged to the Lower Logan Well Users. The

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