PROJ00300

• Contract/PO #: C153643
• Contractor Name: Morgan County Quality Water District
• Water District: 0
• County: Morgan
• Bill Number: XB 99-999
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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Two irrigation wells were drilled in the 1950's and used for a small

amount of pasture ~rrigation in Sections 10 and 11, T3N, R61W. The Nelson,

Haley, Patterson and Quirk (1967) study estimated the average annual con-

sumptive use of ground water in the shallow water table portion to be

25,000 acre feet.

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Since late 1966, 26 additional irrigation wells have been drilled in

the Lost Creek alluvium north of Highway I-80S. Most of these were in

production by the summer of 1973, the principal crops irrigated being hay

and pasture. Assuming an average irrigated area of 160 acres for eacb

well, and an average consumptive use of irrigation water of 1-1/2 acre feet

per acre, the estimated ground-water consumptive use from the 28 existing

wells is about 6700 acre feet per year.

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Designated basin status

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All of the Lost Creek alluvium is included within the Lost Creek

Designated Ground Water Basin. Therefore, any ground-water development

for use by the proposed Morgan County Quality Water District would be

from within the Designated Basin. No ground-water management district has

been formed in the area north of Highway I-80S.

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Surface-water uses

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Besides the irrigation water imported into the Prospect Valley area

by the Henrylyn Irrigation District, other surface water is used in the

Lost Creek basin. Active surface-water rights exist on Lost Creek, mostly

north of Highway I-80S. Flows are captured in small reservoirs and used

to spread over the meadow lands. This practice has served to keep the

ground-water system recharged and obviously has been helpful in maintain-

ing a reasonably good quality of ground water.

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Safe yield estimate

The true hydrological safe yield of the Lost Creek alluvium includes

(1) the discharge of ground water historically consumed by natural evapo-

ration and transpiration and (2) a portion of the underflow now leaving

the aquifer. However, water quality and legal arguments can be made for

limiting the development to the salvage of the natural evaporation and

transpiration. From the water-quality standpoint it is desirable to keep

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M. W, BITTINGER AND ASSOCIATES, INC,