C153808 Feasibility Study

• Contract/PO #: C153808
• Contractor Name: Arkansas Groundwater Users Association
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 14
• County: Pueblo
• Bill Number: ARA
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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Transit losses that occur in conveying the excess Lock Ditch replacement credits down Fountain Creek

from the Fountain area to the Arkansas River range from eight to 14 percent. The State Engineer's

Office (SEO) mayor may not assess in the future a transit loss on the Lock Ditch replacement credits

sent down Fountain Creek. The current administration practice of the SEO has been not to assess a

transit loss. Therefore, no transit loss was considered for reducing excess Lock Ditch credits delivered

from Fountain Creek to the Arkansas River.

Excess Lock Ditch credits available to replace Ark,lnsas River well depletions between April and
October on average will be 491 acre-feet (1,070 acre-feet minus 579 acre-feet) using future estimated
depletions.

If Lock Ditch water is acquired as a replacement source by AGUA, November through March Fountain
Creek well depletions will still have to be replaced with a leased or purchased water source, and
historic winter return flow obligations associated with the Lock Ditch will need to be replaced. Winter
return flow obligations for the Lock Ditch have not been quantified. One way to estimate the winter
return flow obligations would be to use the winter return flow obligations estimated for the Robinson
Ditch in Case No. 86CW31. An estimate of 24.4 percent of April through October net stream
depletions was made in that case, which if used for the Lock Ditch would result in approximately 261
acre-feet per year of winter return flow obligations,

The Venezia Family has not established a selling price for their three-quarter interest in the Lock Ditch,
however, Mr. Bruce Kroeker has informed AGUA that the cost per acre-foot of average consumptive
use yield for the Lock Ditch would be similar to the price per acre-foot of consumptive use yield for
the FMIC water, which is $2,143 per acre-foot. Thus, we have assumed that the price per acre-foot for
Lock Ditch average annual consumptive use yield water is $2,143. Multiplying the average annual
Lock Ditch consumptive use yield of 809 acre-feet by $2,143 per acre-foot, the estimated cost of the
three-quarter interest in the Lock Ditch is approximately $1,733,700.

The augmentation station for the Lock Ditch is goir1g to be more expensive than the $6,000 Spring
Creek augmentation structure built by FMIC, because there are no existing facilities at the Lock Ditch,
whereas the diversion structure already existed at the FMIC Spring Creek turnout. The Lock Creek
augmentation structure is estimated to cost $15,000. Annual O&M costs associated with the Lock
Ditch and augmentation station are estimated at approximately $6,500 per year based on $2,500 per

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