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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />B. Utilization of Water Within the Service Area <br /> <br />1. Present <br /> <br />a. Irrigation Use <br /> <br />Water diverted to the Rio Grande and Monte Vista Canals is used <br />primarily to irrigate cropland in Rio Grande and Saguache Counties. <br />The Monte Vista Canal has the capability of supplying nearly 30,000 <br />acres in Rio Grande County, and the Rio Grande Canal has the duty to <br />serve 118,500 acres in Rio Grande and Saguache Counties. The irri- <br />gated acreage served by the two canals is depicted in Figure III-l <br />(11, 19, 25). <br /> <br />Irrigation methods used include border, furrow, sub-irrigation, <br />flood, and sprinkler irrigation. Sprinkler irrigation relies pri- <br />marily upon pumping groundwater and is the prevalent mode of irriga- <br />tion under the Rio Grande Canal. These systems are generally used in <br />sandy and gravelly soils for close-growing crops, but the trend <br />recently has been to rely more heavily on sprinkler irrigation <br />suppl ied by pumping groundwater drawn from the unconfined aqui fer <br />which is recharged by diverted canal flow. <br /> <br />The annual acreage pl anted and harvested withi n the State of <br />Colorado as well as yield, production, and market value for each crop <br />grovm is reported by county in "Colorado Agricultural Statistics," <br />published by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (4, 5, 6). <br /> <br />III - 4 <br />