C150008 Contract - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . Project Sponsor and Existinl( Facilities e The Leroux Creek Water Users Association (LCWUA) is a non-profit corporation ....d.-.;, ~7'}!:l' . lit.!. w.,,!,a..y incorporated in 1948. There are about 5,800 shares of stock in the association and 100 water users. Water is provided for the irrigation of about 5,000 acres ofland on Redlands Mesa north of Hotchkiss. Included are about 1,000 acres of fruit orchards as well as about 4,000 acres of feed crops and pastureland. In addition, two municipal water providers, the town of Hotchkiss and the Rogers Mesa Domestic Water Company, own shares in the Association. The Company owns and operates all 28 of the reservoirs in the upper Leroux Creek basin, which is tributary to the North Fork of the Gunnison River. Carl Smith reservoir is an off- channel facility, which receives diversions from Leroux Creek. It is the lowest reservoir in the Leroux Creek system and provides equalizing storage. The reservoir is therefore a key component of the LCWUA system. Water Ril(hts Storage decrees for Carl Smith date back to 1963 with absolute decrees for about 718 acre-feet and one conditional decree for 536 acre-feet. Storage records from 1970 to 1997 indicate that the reservoir was filled to capacity (about 800 acre-feet) in 23 of the 27 years. . Alternatives Investil(ated The Smith Geotechnical feasibility study analyzed four alternatives for the darn including a permanent dam breach, a smaller structure, restoration of the existing darn and a larger darn. The costs of the alternatives are summarized in Table 1. Table 1. Summary of Alternatives Permanent Breach Reduce Dam Height Maintain Dam Height Increase Dam Hei ht $100,320 $769,622 $1,320,273 $4,387,452 o 375 800 1,600 NA $2,052 $1,650 $2,742 Maintaining the existing darn height with 800 acre-feet of storage was the optimum solution and the selected alternative. e 2