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<br />OGIl480 <br />, <br /> <br />FLORIDA PROJECT (LEMON RESERVOIR) <br /> <br />The Florida Project was constructed by the USSR in the early 1960's as a participating <br />project in the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSPI. The principal feature of the project. Lemon <br />Dam and Reservoir. stores surplus water available during the spring runoff months and <br />subsequently releases the water to supplement the late summer irrigation demands for a number <br />of senior water rights on the Florida River southeast of Durango, Colorado. The project provides <br />supplemental irrigation water supplies to an estimated 13,750 acres and full service irrigation to <br />an estimated 5.700 acres for a total of 19,450 acres. The majority of the acreage is located on <br />the Florida Mesa while a smaller portion is located immediately adjacent to the Florida River. The <br />Project is managed by the Florida Water Conservancy District. <br /> <br />The Project also involved rehabilitation of the diversion dam for the Florida Farmers Ditch, <br />one of the major users of project water. enlargement of portions of the Florida Farmers Ditch and <br />the Florida Canal and rehabilitation and extension of existing irrigation laterals in the service area. <br />The first irrigation water from the Project was delivered in 1964. <br /> <br />Lemon Reservoir (WOlD 3035811 is an earthfill dam constructed across the Florida River <br />about 15 miles northeast of Durango. It has a total capacity of 40,140 acre-feet of which 39.030 <br />acre,feet is the active pool. The remainder of the storage includes 350 acre-feet of dead storage <br />and 760 acre,feet of inactive storage reserved by the United States. Lemon Reservoir has the <br />following decreed absolute storage rights. <br /> <br />NAME ADJUDICATION APPROPRIATION ADMINISTRATION /JNOH <br /> DATE DATE NUMBER <br />Lemon Reservoir 03,21-1966 06,10-1936 31572.00000 40.240 AF <br />Lemon Reservoir 12,31-1991 07,01-1965 51499.42185 7,760 AF <br />Florida Power 12-31,1985 09-30-1983 49308.48850 11 cfs <br />Generation Station <br /> <br />The second storage right listed is a refill right for the reservoir. An additional 32.440 acre- <br />feet of the refill decree remains conditional. The direct flow right for 11 cfs is decreed for hydro- <br />electric power generation at the outlet of Lemon Reservoir. <br /> <br />Lemon Reservoir is normally operated to keep the level of the reservoir fairly constant <br />through the months of October, November and December. Forecasts for the anticipated snowmelt <br />runoff into the reservoir are provided by the National Weather Service on a monthly basis, <br />beginning in January and updated through July. During January, February and March. the amount <br />of storage capacity required for flood control is determined using relations developed by the Corps <br />of Engineers and releases are made to make the flood control space available as necessary. <br />Release from Lemon Reservoir are normally adjusted to maintain the flow of the Florida River <br />below 1.000 cfs. Peak snowmelt runoff occurs during the months of April through July. During <br />these months, the reservoir releases are controlled to satisfy downstream irrigation demands and <br />to reserve the necessary flood control volumes required by the forecasts. As the inflow begins <br />to drop off in late June or early July. the storage water is released to supplement downstream <br />irrigation demands through the remainder of the irrigation season. Records of the historic inflows <br />and releases at the reservoir and the historic contents are maintained by the District and the USSR. <br /> <br />15 <br />