WSP00691

• File Number: 8142.700
• Description: Trinidad Project - Annual Operating Plans and Reports
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 2
• Date: 12/1/1996
• Author: US DoI BoR
• Title: Review of Operating Principles and Project Operations Final Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Operating Principles/Plan

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than class 1, 2 and 3 and therefore, technically violating the operating principles' (Appendix C).

The operating principles required that certain direct flow rights be assigned to the District

for administration and operation. As reported in the 1988 report the District failed to contract for

administration of all of the direct flow rights listed in the operating principles and consequently it

was recommended that the total Project irrigated acreage be reduced from 19717 to 19439 acres.

The Salas, Burns and Duncan, and Victor Florez ditches water rights were not totally contracted

for administration by the District. The 1988 report recommended that the eligible irrigable

acreage under these ditches be reduced by the same proportion as the proportion of the water

rights not contracted to the District for administration. While this methodology for reducing the

eligible irrigable acreage may be technically the most appropriate, it does not consider the

ownership of the water rights and eligible lands and the contracts between the District and owners

of the water rights. An alternative method is to consider the ownership of the water rights and

eligible irrigable land and the District contracts which would require reducing the District irrigable

land by 218 acres to 19499 acres compared to 278 acres and 19439 acres respectively

recommended in the 1988 report (Appendix D). At this time, the District has not contracted for

administration of these water rights and they should be deleted from the operating principles and

the total irrigated acreage reduced accordingly.

The irrigated acreage limitation is a critical element in protection of downstream water

rights. . Since the irrigated acreage is a critical element for protection of downstream water rights,

it is important that the Project lands are identified, designated, and verifiable thai such lands are

the lands actually being irrigated and that the acreage limitation is not being exceeded. The

operating principles limit the District irrigable acreage to 19717 acres composed as nearly as

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