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. Construction of the Buffalo Irrigation Canal began in January of 1885. The dam and head gate CWTeIltly in use were constructed in the late thirties or early forties. The dam and head gate are located in the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 35, Township 22 South, Range 44 West of the Sixth Principal meridian. Natural flows from the draws are intercepted directly by the canal. Buffalo Creek has a small dam and head gate at the confluence with the canal, The head gate dM:rts Buffalo Creek into the canal during the inigation season and diverts water back to the Arkansas River throughout the rest of the year, The system also has three waste gates for flushing sand. A fourth waste gate is Wlder construction, Total delivery to the canal system is about 80 CFS, including the draws and Buffalo Creek. The canal has a capacity of approximately 100-120 CFS. Permanent weirs measure the diversion at each lateral. The waste gates, however, are not equipped with weirs. Wright Water Engineers, Inc., of Denver prepared a summaty of the flow of the Arkansas River (see Appendix 1). Monthly maximum, minimum, and mean flows are tabulated for the period from 1981-1995 for the USGS gage just north of Granada. The data will be used to establish design criteria for the dam and head gate. 2. Proiect Service Area . The service area of the Buffalo Mutual Inigation Company includes approximately 4960 acres located in Water District 67 of Division 2 in Prowers COWlty. Inigated crops include small grains, com, and alfalfa. The map on the next page shows the location of the head gate and dam. The service area below the dam is shaded in yellow. The buffalo Canal tenninates at Cheyenne Creek just west of the Kansas border, NRCS maps of the service area are included in Appendix J. 3. Need for the Proiect The Buffalo Mutual Inigation Company is Wldertaking this project to replace the aging diversion structure and head gate at its diversion point on the Arkansas River. The Buffalo Canal is the last active inigation canal before the Arkansas River reaches Kansas, The decaying wood and steel structure was installed sometime in the late thirties or early forties and has been repaired and maintained since that time, . It has become increasing1y apparent over the last few years that major repairs and replacements are going to be required soon. The head gate is constructed of sheet piling with a wooden slide gate. The main dam structure is faced with steel sheet piling with a wood floor and steel reinforcement. The steel and wood have deteriorated to the extent that complete replacement will soon be required for both the dam and the head gate This will be a major financial burden on the ditch company, but it will have to be done if the canal is to continue to operate. 4