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000478 conditional direct flow right: and (2) Acquisition by the District of 2,300 acre-feet of storage water in the MVIC's Groundhog Reservoir. The latter effectively enables an exchange of water from the District's storage in McPhee Reservoir to the upstream Groundhog Reservoir. The exchange water is then released from Groundhog Reservoir to allow continued diversions by upstream water rights that are junior to the large direct flow rights of the MVIC. In accordance with the exchange agreement, the MVIC receives an equivalent 2.300 acre-feet of storage in McPhee. The Project water allocated to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is delivered through the Towaoc- Highline Canal. As part of the Dolores Project and the Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program (specifically the McElmo Creek Salinity Control Unit), the USBR re-aligned and enlarged the MVIC's Highline Canal so that it could also serve to deliver the Indian Project water. In the process, the MVIC's Rocky Ford Ditch was abandoned in favor of the new ditch and new lateral systems. Project water is delivered to the Towaoc-Highline Canal from the Dolores Tunnel via the Towaoc Penstock (and through the new hydroelectric power plant) on Hartman Draw just north of Cortez. From the power plant, the water is delivered directly into the new canal. According to the Definite Plan Report, the Dolores Project would provide the Indian tribe with an average of 22,900 acre-feet of water for a full service irrigation supply on approximately 7,500 acres southwest of Towaoc. Deliveries to the Indian lands began in 1994 and currently about 3,200 acres (43 %) are being irrigated. Another major feature of the Dolores Project is the Dove Creek Canal (WOlD 322006) which will provide an estimated 54,300 acre-feet of irrigation water to approximately 27,860 acres of full service land in the vicinity of Pleasant View, Cahone and Dove Creek, Colorado. Project water for the Dove Creek Canal is delivered by pumping from the outlet works of the Great Cut Dike (WDID 714676). The Dove Creek Canal extends in a northwesterly direction to lands that are located in the headwaters of drainages tributary to Me Elmo Creek (35% :t:) and drainages that are tributary to the San Juan River downstream of McElmo Creek (65% :t:). Irrigation water was first delivered to the Dove Creek Canal in 1988, as the project operation was phased in. Currently, the largest of the municipal water allocations in McPhee Reservoir is that of the City of Cortez (6,200 acre-feet). This water is used to supplement the City's senior direct flow water rights out of the Dolores River (See discussion under the documentation of the MVIC sustem). The water would be delivered through the Dolores Tunnel (WDID 714675) and recorded by the Division Engineer under WDID 320680. Recently, the City has requested that its allocation be reduced to 2,300 acre-feet. Municipal water for the Town of Dove Creek (Allocated 600 acre- feet in McPhee Reservoir) is delivered via the Dove Creek Canal and the Indian M & I water (Allocated 1 ,000 acre,feet in McPhee Reservoir) is delivered through the Dolores Tunnel where it is treated by the City of Cortez. The water then is delivered through a new pipeline to Towaoc. A large portion of the Dolores Project water supply (29,300 acre-feet) is reserved for downstream recreational and fishery purposes. Each year, water is released from this account upon the request of a "Biology Committee", which schedules the releases after consideration of the natural flow in the river and the spills flowing past the McPhee Dam. These releases are debited against the Fish and Wildlife Pool, unless the reservoir .spills. are in excess of the monthly target flows listed below. In this case, the releases are not debited against the 29,300 acre-foot account. This method of operation provides significant flexibility with respect to managing the fishery habitat. 13