PROJ00151

• Contract/PO #: C153449
• Contractor Name: North Poudre Irrigation Company
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 3
• County: Larimer
• Bill Number: HB 85-1042
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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to continue use of the facility. If storage were maintained at
the lower level, The North Poudre Irrigation Company would be
in the position of lo'itsing the net difference in 'vater rights due
to abandonment. If the net difference in storage was from 42.2
feet gage rod to 34.0 feet gage rod, the amount of water rights
lost would be:
5560 acre-feet - 3264 acre-feet 2296 acre-feet

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The benefit of this proposed rehabilitation project would be that
storage in Reservoir No. 15 would be 5560 acre-feet over the next
80 years and all water rights therein preserved. Without the
proposed rehabilitation project storage would be eventually re-
duced to zero; or with some expense, reduced to 3264 acre-feet.

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Present cost to maintain 5560 acre-feet for 80 years $2,602,440.00
Present cost to maintain 3264 acre-feet for 20 years $500.000.00
Present cost to restore to 5560 acre-feet after 20 years $2,602,440.00

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An estimate of the value of this storage was made by comparing the
current price of Colorado Big Thompson storage water at $1000.00
to $1200.00 a unit with an allotment average of 0.7 acre-feet
unit. This results in a CRT value of $1428.00 to $1714.00 per
acre-foot. To The North Poudre Irrigation Company the value of
storage in Reservoir No. IS is greater than CBT water. This 1S
due to the fact that The North Poudre Irrigation Company uses
CBT water by exchange only and cannot uirectly use the water out
of Horsetooth in The North Poudre Irrigation Company System. The
amount of water that can be used by exchange is limited by the
amount of water in the river plus by the actual capacities of the
physcial structures used such as diversions and ditches.

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The alternative of purchase of CBT water removes from the entire
system the amount of water which would be abandoned at Reservoir
No. 15. The amount of CRT water is finite and to abaridon other
storage rights would not constitute a conservation and utilization.

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