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Q00431 The United States has agreed, to maintain a minimum streamflow of 4 cfs in the Florida River between the dam and the headgate of the Florida Farmers Ditch. The City of Durango also owns senior direct flow water rights on the Florida River which total about 8.9 cfs. Accordingly, the minimum release could vary from 4 cfs to 12.9 cfs, depending on the City's demands and the gains to the river downstream of the dam. Normally during the non'irrigation season, the City's demands are less than 4 cfs. It is noted that the Colorado Water Conservation Board has also filed for a minimum instream flow right for the reach of the river below the dam. being 7 cfs from July 1 through October 14 and 14 cfs for the remainder of the year. Operation of the new hydro- electric generation facility at the dam (11 cfs) is consistent with the bypass/release for. minimum flow requirements. The Florida Project is operated to provide an annual yield, measured at the water users' headgates. of 25.740 acre,feet per year. This represents a 100% allocation of the Project supply and each "acre,foot unit" represents 1 / 25.74Oth of the available supply. These acre-foot units are owned by the various individuals who own and irrigate the project lands. According to the Florida Water Conservancy District, the historic allocation has never been less than 100% and frequently, the annual allocation is established at greater than 100%. The Project water supply is very specifically tied to only the 19.450 acres originally designated by the USBR. No expansion of acreage is allowed. The remainder of. the active storage capacity in lemon Reservoir /39.030 ac-ft - 25.740 ac-ft) is used to make up seepage and evaporation losses. transportation losses and carryover to provide for dry year conditions, According to the Division Engineer and Water Commissioner, supplemental irrigation water from lemon Reservoir is generally required when the natural flow of the river drops below about 200 cfs. There are approximately 7 maior irrigation structures on the Florida River, cumulatively decreed for over 200 cfs. which represent the structures that deliver the majority of the Project water supplies from the reservoir. These structures are separated into the" A" Group and the "B" Group. The" A" Group consists of those ditches that divert from the Florida River and irrigate lands immediately adjacent to the stream. The major structures in this group are listed below. Cumulatively. these structures are allocated 1,520 acre-feet of Project water annually (5.9% of the total project supply). The pro rata allocation of Project water to each ditch was based on the irrigated acreage determined for the CROSS. GROUP "A" WOlD PROJECT AllOCATION Harris Patterson Ditch Pioneer Ditch McCluer,Murray Ditch Banks'Tyner Ditch Tyner'East Side Ditch 301003 301019 301009 301033 301243 TOTAL 183 AF 547 AF 198 AF 410 AF 182 AF 1,520 AF Group "S" is made up of only two major ditch systems; (1) the Florida Farmers Ditch, including the Florida Farmers "Co'op" and (2) the Florida Canal. including its enlargement. The cumulative allocation of Project water under these two systems is 24,220 acre,feet per year /94.1% of the total project supply). The pro rata allocation of Project water to the two systems was based on the irrigated acreage determined for the CROSS. 16