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' <br />tflunicipal and Domestic Water Requirements <br />Future municipal requirements which will be provided from <br />the Yamcolo Project will be pri.marily in those portions of <br />tne valley where no municipality presently exists which has <br />planned for future needs and secured the necessary water <br />rights to meet those needs. In general, any entity which <br />does not have water rights with a priority date of 1954 or <br />earlier cannot be assured of a year round domestic water <br />supply without access to stored water, either for direct use <br />or replaceinent. Under present water law, wells and springs <br />which are tributary to the streams must be administered by the <br />State Engineer in the same manner as for surface water. Thus <br />any community planning to use these sources for its supply <br />needs access to some stored reserve for its protection in a <br />dry year. In recognition of this problem and the dynamic <br />growth pattern (currently about 8$ per year) which is develop- <br />ing along the Yampa Valley, the County Commissioners of Routt <br />County in cooperation with the Upper Yampa Conservancy District <br />have conceived the idea oi protriding a storage reserve which <br />can be used by the County and the District for domestic use <br />and development in such areas as they deem appropriate. In <br />this manner the County and the District can maintain an active <br />role in quiding development in an orderly manner in the Yampa <br />Valley. A precise schedule of domestic water requirements <br />cannot be developed because of obuious uncertainties in future <br />growth patterns. However, if the growth rate in unincorpor- <br />ated areas follows its present pattern (8 to 10 percent per yr.) <br />the population in presently unincorporated areas will increase <br />to approximately 10,000 in 20 years. Assuming the annual use <br />rate to be approximately 3� persons per acre foot. �he ad�33- <br />tional domestic requir�ment will be 2900 acre-feet. A portion <br />of this (perhaps two-thirds) can be obtained from junior <br />direct flow water rights, but for protection in a dry year a <br />storage reserve of at least 1,000 acre-feet should be provided. <br />In the interim pending full demand for domestic use, the <br />water can be used either for agriculture, stream enhancement, <br />IV - 3 <br />' <br />' <br />� <br />I ' <br />1 <br />' � <br />� <br />' <br />1 <br />' <br />' <br />1 ' <br />�' , <br />I <br />' � <br />I 1 <br />' <br />' ' <br />, <br />! ... _ <br />