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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I CHAPTER III: LAND The water stored in Twin Lakes Reservoir is used to meet Greeley's municipal requi rements. However, over the years the City of Greeley and the North Poudre Irri gati on Company have developed an informal water exchange pl an, Which all ows use of stored reservoi r water by the i rri gati on company in exchange for Colorado-Big Thompson (CBT) Project water owned by the company: The CBT water is transferred to the City for municipal use. The North Poudre Irri gati on Company currently i rri gates about 31 ;000 acres north, northeast, and east of Fort Collins. The predominant crops grOl~n include alfalfa, corn, sugar beets, small grains, pinto beans, and grasses. The i rri gati on company owns CBT water but is unabl e to physi cally di vert it. The North Poudre Supply Canal is 6.5 stream miles upstream of the Charles Hansen Canal, which conveys CBT water to the Cache 1 a Poudre Ri ver from Horsetooth Reservoir. Water, when exchanged, is released from Twin Lakes for diversion by the North Poudre Irrigation Company Supply Canal. Releases are usually scheduled for August and September during the peal( of the irrigation season. In exchange for these del i veri es, North Poudre credi ts the Ci ty of Greeley with CBT water. The City is required to pay a 5 percent shrink charge to the river for conveyance losses from the reservoir to the point of diversion; therefore, the CBT credit is 95 percent of the releases made at Twin lakes Reservoir. The water exchange plan is beneficial to both entities. The North Poudre Irrigation Company can augment and divert the natural streamflows during the late summer months when irrigation demand is greatest. The availability of upstream reservoir storage is particularly valuable during drought conditions: The City of Greeley benefits by increasing treatment system flexibility; Water released from Twin Lakes and diverted for use by the City can only be treated at the Bellvue Water Treatment Pl ant; CBT water can be del ivered to and treated at ei ther the Bell vue or Boyd lake Water Treatment Pl ants. -16- .