PROJ00505

• Contract/PO #: C153419
• Contractor Name: San Miguel Water Conservancy District
• Water District: 0
• County: San Miguel
• Bill Number: XB 99-999
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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existing distribution systems or by exchange. No attempt was made to supply

water to one system or the other by preference or to account for the water's

origin once it became administered by the project.

Assuming that water would be supplied by the District on a demand and

payment basis, the reservoir may be operated differently than shown in the

operation study. During dry years releases will probably be made later in the

season rather than in immediate response to the lack of a natural ideal demand

supply. The assumptions made in the operation provide a means to determine the

quantity of supplemental water that can be made available by the enlargement.

An enlarged Cone Reservoir is an intrinsic part of the~ greater San Miguel

Project now being evaluated under separate contract. Inflow to the reservoir

will be enhanced not only by project flow from the Beaver Creek drainage but

from the proposed Wolf Meadows Reservoir as well. As presently conceived, Wolf

Meadows Reservoir will release from storage late in the irrigation season to

supplement irrigation supplies in both the Gurley and Cone service areas. The

Cone Reservoir (5,800 acre-foot capacity) will function as a regulating

reservoir in the early season to control diversions tc the Lilylands system and

to the Cone service area. The reservoir would be kept predominantly full

during this period. The storage capacity would be fully used in the late

season when the reservoir is drained to provide irrigation and stock water for

the Cone service area. With other new storage locations in the area, and an

increased water supply, the reservoir's operation would be more flexible to the

needs of irrigators in the project area.

4.7 Water Quality

No water quality measurements were made as a component of this study.

Water quality is expected to be good overall aside from high turbidity during

peak runoff. The quality can be expected to deteriorate slightly with each

irrigation application but not to a detrimental level. Water released from the

enlargement will be applied to soils which are not characterized as highly

saline. Water quality in the entire project area should be improved overall by

a greater late-season supply.

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