PROJ00113

• Contract/PO #: FS0032X
• Contractor Name: San Miguel Project USBR 1966
• Contract Type: Miscellaneous
• Water District: 0
• County: San Miguel
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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project irrigation system and exchanges effected between project
and existing water supplies to obtain optimum use of available water
supplies.

Municipal and industrial water supplies would be made available in
the San.Migue1 River and in the Naturita and Radium Reservoirs.
Recreation facilities would be provided at the project reservoirs.
The Saltado Reservoir would be operated for flood control on the
basis of runoff forecasts. Measures for the conservation and develop-
ment of the fish and wildlife resources would include maintenance of
minimum flows and channel improvements in the river below the
Sa1tado Reservoir, provision for interconnecting the two segments
of Radium Reservoir with control of water elevations in the east
segment of the reservoir, a 200-acre irrigated waterfowl preserve
adjacent to Radium Reservoir, and sport fisheries at each of the
three project reservoirs.

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In much of the project area, farms. would require more than 160 acres
in a single ownership to provide an adequate level of living for the
farm family and reasonable payments on project costs. In order for
adequately sized farms to be served, the project authorizing
legislation should provide for water delivery to 160 acres of Class 1
land or the equivalent, as determined by the Secretary, in lower
quality lands.

The project is expected to provide opportunities for the settlement
of between 75 and 125 family-size farms. Approximately 5,000 acres
of the land available for settlement is in the public domain, and
about 10,000 acres is priva~ly owned and presently used for dry-
range grazing. The irrigable area also includes about 4,000 acres
of public land that is so located that it could be incorporated
into existing farms. The owners of large land holdings have generally
expressed a willingness to dispose of their excess lands as necessary
to assure project development.

The project is planned to utilize only water that is not required for
beneficial use under prior rights. In some instances prior rights
cover more water than needed for the purposes served. The San Miguel
Water Conservancy District is negotiating with owners of prior rights
to agree on a basis for project operation. The Conservancy District
on September 22, 1965, filed a claim with the District Court at
Montrose, Colorado, for a water right for the San Miguel Project. A
priority of December 9, 1946, is claimed for all portions of the right
except that covering uirect flow diversions from the San Miguel River
for municipal and industrial use for which a priority of September 2,
1965, is claimed.

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