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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In 1974, a one-quarter interest in the Liston and Love Ditch water rights not owned by the Venezia
Family was subject to a decree from the Water Court for Water Division No.2 in Case No. W-4077,
where the point of diversion was changed to a new location. The Venezia three-quarter interest in the
Liston and Love Ditch and its associated diversions is referred to as the Liston and Love North Ditch,
and the one-quarter interest in the Liston and Love Ditch and its associated diversions is referred to as
the Liston and Love South Ditch.

The original Liston and Love Ditch headgate and current Liston and Love North Ditch headgate is
located on the east bank of Fountain Creek in the southwest one-quarter of Section 17, Township 16
South, Range 65 West in the 6th Principal Meridian of EI Paso County, Colorado. This ditch generally
runs in a southeasterly direction. The three-quarter interest in the Liston and Love Ditch has been used
to irrigate 435 acres of alfalfa and hay in Sections 21 and 28, Township 16 South, Range 65 West.

The water rights associated with the three-quarter interest in the Liston and Love Ditch were changed

in Case No. 85CW38 to allow an alternate point of diversion at the Chilcott Ditch, to allow storage of

the water rights in Calhan Reservoir for subsequent use for irrigation, and to allow alternate places of

irrigation use to include all or parts of Sections 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 34, 35

and 36 ofTownship 16 South, Range 65 West, and Sections 19, 30 and 31 ofTownship 16 South,

Range 64 West. The Venezias agreed to limit future diversions to storage to 67 percent of the pro-rata

flow rate entitlement under the decree. The 67 percent represents the average historic consumptive

use factor of 57 percent, divided by 0.85 to allow for future Chilcott Ditch carriage losses which return

to Fountain Creek (15 percent).

The decree in Case No. 85CW38 found that the historic average annual diversion for the Venezia
three-quarter interest in the Liston and Love Ditch has been 1,491 acre-feet (1974 through 1983), with
a single year maximum of 2,316 acre-feet (1982). Historic average annual consumptive use under the
Liston and Love North Ditch water rights has been 855 acre-feet, which represents a consumptive use
factor of 57 percent of diversions.

Table VI-3 summarizes the three-quarter interest of historic headgate diversions for the Liston and Love
Ditch between 1922 and 1989. The SEO diversion records were used to create Table VI-3. The
average annual diversion was 1,055 acre-feet. The minimum recorded diversion was 324 acre-feet in
1973 and the maximum recorded diversion was 2,459 acre-feet in 1933. Applying the 57 percent

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