C153787 Feasibility Study - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I SMITH DITCH FEASIBILITY REPORT 1. Introduction The Smith Ditch is located on Elkhead Creek, a tributary of the Yampa River, in Routt County about eight miles east of Craig and about seven miles upstream from the confluence with the Yampa River as shown on the location map in Figure 1. The ditch is owned and operated by the newly-formed Smith Ditch Corporation. The ditch system was constructed in the 1880's and has had new headgates installed and other maintenance over the years with ditch enlargements in 1888 and 1939. The water is used to irrigate several hundred acres of irrigated hay and pasture. The ditch has four adjudicated water rights of varying seniority on Elkhead Creek. In the last several years, Elkhead Creek has apparently overtopped the existing diversion structure and, in addition, the alignment of the charmel has changed in such a way that the diversion structure is no longer capable of capturing streamflow except at flood stage. Erosion of the creek banks below Elkhead Reservoir, which is about 1.5 miles upstream, also appears to have contributed to the problem. The project proposed in this report involves replacing the existing diversion structure with a new 50-foot wide structure located about two hundred feet downstream of the existing diversion. The new structure will allow the use of the existing Smith Ditch headgate and full use ofthe decreed water rights. 2. Project Service Area and Facilities The Smith Ditch is capable of providing irrigation water to about 400 to 500 acres of irrigated hay and pasture lands in Routt County. Irrigated lands are located north of US Highway 40 and south of Moffat County Road 29 as shown on the aerial photo in Appendix A. The Ditch has an estimated capacity of 23 cubic feet per second (cfs). The existing diversion is located on the south side of Elkhead Creek in the N.W. 1/4 of the N.W. 1/4 of Section 28, T. 7 N., R. 89 W. of the 6th P. M. at an elevation of about 6,300 feet as shown in Figure 2. The existing diversion structure is no longer located on the main channel ofElkhead Creek as the photos in Appendix B demonstrate. Smith Ditch irrigators have placed rip rap, gabions, and other earth structures in the channel in atternpts to continue to use the existing diversion but none of these measures were successful. The channel of the creek has eroded so that the invert of the headgate is now four feet above the streambed. No significant diversions into the ditch have been possible for the last four years.