BOARD02381

• Board Meeting Date: 3/24/2003
• Description: CF Section - New Loans - Stieb Brothers, Inc. - Well Augmentation 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]
www.cwcb.state.co.1lS

MEMORANDUM

Bill OWens
Governor

TO:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members

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

Greg E. Walcher
Executive Director

FROM:

Rod Kuharlch
eWeB Director

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

DATE: March 17,2003

SUBJECT: Agenda Item 24b, March 25-26, 2003 Board Meeting
Water Supply Planning and Finance Section - New Loans
Stieb Brothers, Inc. - Well Augmentation Project

Introduction

$tieb 8rothers, Inc. (581) is applying for a $151,500 Small Project Loan from the Construction Fund to
provide permanent financing to construct a system of wells and recharge ponds to replace out-of-
priority irrigation well depletions. The estimated total cost of the project is $202,000. Please see the
attached project summary and map.

Backaround

S81 is a private family farm operation located 10 miles northeast of Sterling in Logan County, near
the Town of IlIiff. The farm is located on the south side of the South Platte River adjacent to 1-76,
crossing 3 sections of land. 581 has 723 acres of sprinkler irrigated farm ground. The ground is
irrigated with 5 tributary groundwater wells, which were drilled in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
The wells pump on average a total of 1,400 acre-feet annually. The water is typically used to
irrigate corn, alfalfa, beans and wheat. The 5 wells are currently augmented under the
Groundwater Appropriators of the South Platte (GASP) plan of operation.

With no ties to a ditch or reservoir system, the S81 is completely dependent on its 5 wells, which
have very junior water rights. As such S81 is required to replace depletions from well pumping
when there is a senior water right "call" on the river. 581 has successfully used GASP for the past
30 years to cover depletions on these wells. GASP operates on a year-to-year basis with no
guarantee of continued coverage. The current drought has brought to the foreground the difficulty
of providing augmentation for well users. The applicant states that GASP has Indicated that if the
drought continues well pumping may be curtailed this summer.

5131 wants to develop a recharge system, similar to the ones developed by several neighbors,
including the State's Tamarack project, that will be used to offset the depletions caused by its 5

Flood Protection. Water Supply Plannittg and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection. Conservation and Drought Planning