PROJ00414

• Contract/PO #: C153326
• Contractor Name: Fruitland Mesa Water Conservancy District
• Contract Type: Grant
• Water District: 0
• County: Montrose
• Bill Number: XB 99-999
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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C. Proposed Actions

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1. As stated above,during the normal years, the utilization of
the entire runoff of the Crystal Creek for irrigation in the
Fruitland Mesa Project area will not cause shortage to fulfill
the water rights on the Gunnison River. During an abnormally dry
year, the runoff of the Crystal Creek will be hardly sufficient
to meet water rights of the Cattleman's Ditch, which is much
senior to the known water rights of the Gunnison River. There-
fore, the question of releasing water in the Crystal Creek by
closing or reducing diversion to meet the downstream water rights
will seldom arise. However, there might be occasions when it
would become necessary to pass flow into the Crystal Creek by
closing or reducing upstream diversions, provided water rights of
the Cattleman's Ditch have fully been met. The irrigators should
be made aware of that possib1e'occurrence.

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2. The water rights for reservoir storage of 18,500 acre feet of
water, which amount is in excess of the previously adjudicated
water rights for the storage of 15,584.95 acre feet of water in
the Gould Reservoir, should be filed. This volume of storage
will come from the ditch water rights that will then be released
on call to meet the water rights of the respective ditches, in
order of seniority. During visits to the project, PRC/ECI were
given to understand that the Cattleman's Ditch water right owners
are agreeable to trade their ditch rights with storage in the
Gould Reservoir provided they would benefit from the storage
facility. This mode of operation and trade offs among the water
right owners of the Crystal Creek would make it possible for the
irrigatbrs to make proper use of assured regulated supply from
storage. The irrigators would thus receive water from storage on
call and would not be tempted to apply large amounts of water
early in the irrigation season, as is the practice now, to offset
late-season shortages.

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