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<br />COLORADO RIVER RECOVERY PROGRAM <br />FY-97 ANNUAL PROJECT REPORT <br /> <br />RECOVERY PROGRAM <br />PROJECT # l..1L..S. <br /> <br />I. Project Titles: <br /> <br />Return Flow Gage Operation/Data Analysis <br />and Water Right Acquisition Consultant <br /> <br />II. Principal Investigator: <br /> <br />George Smith <br />P.O. Box 25486, Denver, Colorado 80225-0486 <br />E-MAIL: george_smith@fws.gov <br />Phone: (303) 236-5322, ext. 235 <br />Fax: (303) 236-4224 <br /> <br />III. Project Summary: <br /> <br />Due to complexities of water rights law in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and the work <br />involved in conducting water rights analyses, the Water Rights Acquisition Committee <br />(W AC) retained the services of Water Rights Specialists to conduct water rights <br />evaluations. The Specialists are available to the Recovery Program on an as-needed <br />basis to perform work on individual water rights issues. Cost and performance <br />deadlines were negotiated on a case-by-case basis. <br /> <br />IV. Study Schedule: Initial Year - 1991 Final Year - 1997. <br /> <br />V. Relationship to RIPRAP: Colorado River Action Plan, tA.3.c.13l. <br />Deliver flow to the 15-Mile Reach. <br /> <br />VI. Accomplishment of FY.95 Tasks and Deliverables: <br /> <br />The Water Rights Specialist was available on an as-needed basis to prepare water <br />rights evaluations for the WAC. During FY-97 two projects were wrapped up: <br /> <br />Task 1 (Project #7): Richard D. Piland and Associates (RDPA), a Grand Junction firm <br />specializing in water measurement, has been contracted in prior years to install a <br />temporary gage at the lower end of the 15-Mile Reach at 27.5 Road. Based upon <br />recommendations from the water rights consultant, the return flow gage was not <br />operated in FY-97 because 1997 was another high year, and the consultant felt that <br />past data was sufficient to support the water right filing. <br /> <br />Task 2 (Project #9): Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engineers (LRCWE) was <br />contracted to review the data for 1996 and prior years, and prepare a report that <br />summarizes the data and findings in support of the instream filing for the 15-Mile <br />Reach. <br /> <br />General conclusions: <br /> <br />1. Local inflow to the critical reach is on the order of 150 to 300 cfs during the <br />period of August through October. <br /> <br />2. Local inflows appear to drop off after the irrigation season to about 100 cfs, <br />but interpretation is made difficult due to icing problems in December. <br /> <br />3. Local inflows appear to largely be a function of irrigation returns and, to a <br />lesser degree, local precipitation. <br />