PROJ00060

• Contract/PO #: C153721
• Contractor Name: Lyons, Town of
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 5
• County: Boulder
• Bill Number: SB 96-153
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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24 hours (or 2.0 cfs for 12 hours). This volume converts to 1.983 acre-feet (at) for the same 24-
hour period. The water commissioner's data sl1eets are in Appendix B.

The Water Commissioner's data are used to estUnate the Town's water rights over the water years
1990, 1992 and 1993. A water year (WY) is the 12-month period from the previous November
1 st to the current October 30th.

To obtain a rough estimate of the average lUUlual yield of the Town's water supply, several
assumptions are made as follows. For the direct diversion right, the Town appears to have been
in priority for 194, 149, and 157 days, or an average of 167 days/year for the four years in Table
1. Yield would be: 1.0 cfs x 1.983 af/cfsd x 167 days/yr equals about 331 af/yr. as a rough
average, The average yield of 523 C-BT shares at 0.67 af/share is about 350 af/year, for a
combined total of 681 af of available yield in an average year. Current usage is about 333 af/yr,
about one-half of the average year yield available. Thus, the Town currently has a (681/333 =
2.0) supply ratio for "average" year supply and demand conditi~ns.

The adequacy of the current water supply essentially rests on two factors: optimum management
of the assets described above and the probability of annual yield. Determination of probable
annual yield is not within the scope of this report; it is dependent upon several random,
operational and legal variables. To optimize management, however, the Town is beginning to
carefully review its exchange operations and its use of storage space in Button Rock Reservoir.
Optimal use of storage space in Button Rock Reservoir may increase the reliability of the water
supply.

Several actions are being considered by the Town, including an exchange agreement with the City
of Longmont. The water commissioner, Bill Gambrell, is very familiar with the disposition of
water rights for Lyons and says he supports an exchange arrangement, as has been practiced by
Lyons for many years.

Regarding the Town's water rights, Gorsuch Kirgis, L.L.C, attorneys in Denver have the
following preliminary assessment:

An analysis was made of the Town of Lyons' water rights portfolio, including what
outstanding water rights issues, if any, may need to be addressed by the Town as it evaluates its
present supply and future demand. The Town owns the water rights listed in Table 2. Virtually
all of Lyons' present yield is derived from the Lyons Pipeline, the Lyons Ditch and the 523 units
of CB- T direct flow rights plus the Button Rock: Reservoir storage right.

Based upon the decrees and related documents as well as discussions with Bill Gambrell,
the Water Commissioner for Water District No.5, the following issues have been identified:

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