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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />and the water used for irrigation. Reservoir No. 5 was rehabllitated In 1980 and <br />1981 and as shown on the graphs was empty all of 1980 and through September <br />of 1981. Reservoir No. 6 was restricted In 1984 and has been held to zero <br />storage since 1987. It is assumed that for others years that show the reservoirs <br />drained that they were actually drained by use of the water for irrigation. <br /> <br />Figure IV-3 Is a plot of the typical water usage over a two year period for both <br />reservoirs. The reservoirs are typically at their highest levels in the spring <br />prior to the Irrigation season and at their lowest toward the end of the season. <br />These reservoirs have usually not been used to their maximum capacity due to <br />the small number of acres Irrigated below the reservoirs. Thus the records do <br />not show the two reservoirs being full at the start of the Irrigation season and <br />almost empty at the end as Is the history for most of the plains reservoirs. At <br />times In the past, the water has been exchanged with Water Supply and Storage <br />and during these years a higher percentage of the total capacity has been <br />utilized. <br /> <br />In the future It would be expected that water from No. 5 and 6 will have to be <br />exchanged within the basin or sold to Ii downstream user to make It economically <br />feasible to maintain and operate the reservoirs. Water will be too valuable In <br />the future to allow 18,000 acre-feet of water to sit Idle in a reservoir and not <br />utilized to Its maximum potential each year. <br /> <br />Restrictions. Reservoir No. 5 and No. 6 are currently operating under <br />restrictions Imposed by the Colorado State Engineer's Office. This restriction is <br />at Gage Height 21.0 feet for Reservoir No. 5 and Reservoir No. 6 Is restricted to <br />zero storage. This provides a total capacity of 4708 acre-feet of storage which <br />Is a loss of 13,658 acre-feet for the two reservoirs. A summary of the restric- <br />tions Imposed on Reservoirs 5 and 6 Is given in Table IV-2. <br /> <br />The Intent of the rehabilitation of both reservoirs Is to remove these restrictions <br />which will allow filling the reservoirs to their maximum potential. <br /> <br />Exchanges. Water Right transfers or exchanges were Investigated as an alternate <br />to rehabilitating the reservoir. The area served by No. 5 and No. 6 could be <br />serviced out of Reservoir No.2, however, no additional storage Is available In <br />Reservoir No.2. No additional storage Is available In Reservoir No. 15 which Is <br />near enough to No. 2 to efficiently refill NO.2. If Halligan Reservoir is <br />rehabilitated In the future, It Is possible the storage could be transferred to <br />Halligan or exchanges made to refill No. 2 from Halllgan. This alternative, <br />however, has two drawbacks. To transfer the water to Halligan, the point of <br />diversion would have to be changed from the main stem of the Cache La Poudre <br />River to the North Fork of the Cache La Poudre River. This alternative is not <br />viewed as favorable due to the possible difficulty In transferring water rights <br />through the water courts at this time. The likelihood of objectors makes this an <br />unattractive option unless absolutely necessary. <br /> <br />Transfers of this nature today generallY require a compromise with other owners <br />of water In the basin and may result In some loss of water. Exchanges usually <br />also result In loss of water paid as a premium and ditch losses paid to those <br />willing to exchange the water. The probability of finding someone willing to <br /> <br />p~G! 3 <br />Chapter IV - No.6 I'eliibUlty <br />