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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I winter months to 1) supplement and enhance Gore Creek streamflows, 2) replace out-of- priority depletions caused by Vail Valley's municipal uses, and 3) replace out-of-priority , depletions caused by snowmaking diversions at the Vail, Beaver Creek and Arrowhead Ski Areas. It is not anticipated that releases from the Black Lakes will be exchanged to Eagle Park Reservoir. However, the return flows from diversions of Black Lakes releases used for snowmaking at the Beaver Creek and Arrowhead Ski Areas will be exchanged to Eagle Park Reservoir when stream flow conditions warrant as described later in this report. Vail Valley contracted for 934 acre-feet of water from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation of which up to 603 acre-feet have been reserved for replacement of out-of- priority depletions caused by snowmaking at the Vail Ski Area. The remainder, 331 acre- feet, is reserved for replacement of depletions caused by municipal uses during the non- irrigation season and for transit losses occurring between Green Mountain Reservoir and the confluence of the Colorado and Eagle Rivers. In the past, water has been released from October 26 through late April to replace Vail Valley's out-of-priority depletions with respect to river calls originating from the Colorado River. In Case No. 95CW348, Vail Valley is requesting that all or portions of the contracted Green Mountain Reservoir water be stored by exchange in Eagle Park Reservoir at times that Eagle Park Reservoir is out of priority and water rights on the Eagle River senior to the exchange are satisfied or are out of priority. Such water stored in Eagle Park Reservoir would be released during the non-irrigation season or when the Eagle River is below the decreed instream flows to replace out-of- priority depletions caused by municipal and snowmaking uses. Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority The Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority ("UERWA") was formed in 1984 for the purpose of achieving an economy of scale for developing and providing potable water supplies to the Town of Avon and to the Eagle-Vail, Beaver Creek, Arrowhead, Edwards, and Berry Creek Metropolitan Districts. Also, through a contract arrangement with Edwards, potable water service is provided to the Squaw Creek Metropolitan District. These entities are located along the Eagle River from Gore Creek to Squaw Creek and are depicted in Figure 1. The entities lease their water rights and some of the diversion and conveyance facilities to UERWA. The remaining diversion, treatment and conveyance facilities are owned by UERWA and the distribution pipelines and potable water storage facilities within the boundaries of a given entity are owned by that entity. According to the January 1995 report entitled "Hydraulic Analysis of the Water Distribution System for the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority" by Merrick & Company, there will be about 15,217 SFE at build-out among the entities presently served by the UERWA. As of January 1, 1997, the UERWA served 9,946 SFE or about 65 percent of the build-out 5