PROJ00527

• Contract/PO #: FS0024X
• Contractor Name: Florida Water Conservancy District
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 0
• County: La Plata
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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2.0 FLORIDA PROJECT HISTORY

The Florida Project was constructed by Reclamation in the
early 1960' s, as a participating project of the Colorado River
Storage Project Act. Lemon Dam is the central feature of the
project. The District contracted with the Federal Government to
repay the appropriate share of the construction costs of the
Florida Project. The District was formed in 1948 pursuant to
provisions of Chapter 266 of the Session Laws of Colorado (37-45-
101, C.R.S. 1973, as amended).

The project is located in La Plata County of Southwestern
Colorado near the city of Durango. The project is in the San Juan
River drainage of the Colorado River Basin. The reservoir is
located on the Florida River at elevation 8000 feet.

Lemon Dam is a 215-foot high earth embankment dam on the
Florida River that forms a 40,100 acre-foot (af) reservoir with a
620 acre surface area. The crest of the dam is at elevation 8167
feet. Water is released from the reservoir during the irrigation
season (May-October) to irrigate 19,450 acres of land along the
Florida River and on the Florida Mesa which is 15 miles downstream

from the dam. The reservoir is used solely
municipal water use is excluded in the
District and Federal Government.

for irrigation water;
contract between the

Releases from the reservoir are diverted from the Florida
River primarily by two canals owned and operated by two private
ditch companies. The District operates the dam and coordinates
with the two ditch companies to make releases. Reclamation
assists the District with the operation of the facilities.

The releases from the reservoir are significantly greater
during the irrigation months (May-October) than during the non-

2.0-1