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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I approximately 10% of the total acreage. B. SERVICE AREA The project service area is shown on Figure I-I. The land may be generally described as that land in Eastern Larimer County and West Central Weld. County and is in the area bounded by the Eaton Ditch and Greeley No.2 Ditch. The total area encompassed between these boundaries is about 86,000 acres. Within these boundaries, The Windsor Reservoir and Canal Company provides water for irrigation of about 55,000 acres. The total Windsor Reservoir and Canal Company irrigation system typically uses about 31,000 acre-feet of water to irrigate approximately 55,000 acres of farm land. Most of this land is located in Weld County, Colorado; whereas, most of the reservoir structures and ditches to be investigated lie within Larimer County. C. LAND USE C.!. PRESENT There are presently approximately 55,000 acres served by the Windsor Reservoir and Canal Company and all of this acreage is in agricultural use. Crops grown on lands served by Windsor Reservoir and Canal Company include wheat, corn, hay, sugar beets, beans, oats, and barley. No data was available on the actual percentages of the different crops grown in the service area, however, a rough breakdown of the different crops for Weld County was estimated from the Colorado Agricultural Statistics, 1994, published by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Table III-I presents the different irrigated crops grown on lands serviced by the Windsor Reservoir and Canal Company, the estimated acres of each crop, the 1993 yields per acre and 1993 dollars per unit. In addition, vegetables grown in Weld County include Cabbage, Carrots, Lettuce, Onions, Spinach, and Sweet Corn, although the Department of Agriculture does not have a specific breakdown of these crop yields for Weld County. C.2. FUTURE The anticipated net acreage of irrigated crop usage in the project service area is expected to remain the same or very near the same as the present acreage. Even if some agricultural land is changed to municipal or residential use, the associated water usage will remain the same. The type of water use may change but the demand for the water will continue to grow to meet the increased population demands. There will most likely be a decrease in agricultural use over the next 30 years with a substantial increase in municipal use to supply individual home sites. Some increase in industrial use would be expected over the next 30 years but not to the extent expected for increases in municipal use. Page III-3 WR&C Feasibility Study