C153773 Feasibility Study

• Contract/PO #: C153773
• Contractor Name: Morrison, Town of
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 9
• County: Jefferson
• Bill Number: HB 95-1155
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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In Case N" 82CW425, Morrison requested the right to store depletion credits from its Lewis &
Strouse Ditch and to use 2.5 shares of the Warrior Ditch for direct flow. An additional 0.625
share of the Warrior Ditch was changed in Case N" 87CW301. The total of 3.125 shares in the
Warrior Ditch must be used for direct flow purposes until October 31,1999. No later than March
1, 2000, Morrison must make a permanent decision to use these shares directly, or for storage.
Under the terms and conditions of Case N" 82CW425 and N" 87CW301, the maximum practical
combined diversion rate of the 100 inches of the Lewis & Strouse and 3.125 shares of the
Warrior Ditch for storage is 2.5 cfs. Releases from storage will provide raw water to the
treatment plant when the intake is inadequate due to capacity, water quality or in emergency
situations and can also provide replacement water for "out-of-priority" diversions taken at
Morrison's water intake on Bear Creek.

The Town of Morrison has owned five shares of the Soda Lakes Reservoir and Mineral Water
Company for a long time, and these shares were withdrawn from Case N" 82CW425 without
prejudice. This was a fortuitous decision because the bylaws of the Soda Lakes Company were
recently changed to allow owners of shares in the Company to bring in and store other water
rights which can be used for augmentation purposes. This allowed Morrison to extricate itself
from the onerous contract with the U.S. Corps of Engineers for storage in the Bear Creek
Reservoir.

The Town of Morrison has since purchased two more shares in the Soda Lakes Company, which
should provide sufficient storage, in total, to augment its winter return flow obligations. Morrison
has applied to the water court for permission to store other water rights in the Soda Lakes, and
anticipates water court approval in the near future. Morrison has an operating agreement with
the Soda Lakes Company that allows it to store other water rights in the Soda Lakes, but will
likely need additional agreements with the Denver Water Department for carriage of this water
through the Harriman Ditch to the Soda lakes.

It also would be timely to change in Water Court the seven shares in the Soda Lakes Reservoir
and Mineral Water Company to municipal, irrigation, reuse, augmentation and other uses since
these shares also yield various amounts of water on their own, which can supplement the water
brought in from the Lewis and Strouse and Warrior Ditch water rights.

The winter return flow obligations would be diverted into the Harriman Ditch concurrently with
the pumping of the water from the above ditches, at a rate of 18 percent of the amount in priority
by the Lewis and Strouse Ditch and 12 percent of the amount in priority by the 3.125 shares of
the Warrior Ditch as specified in the terms and conditions of the decree for Case N" 82CW425.

70..0SO.035:MSfR-PLN

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