WSP00697

• File Number: 8200.750
• Description: San Juan River General
• State: CO
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 3/1/1960
• Author: Clifford H Jex
• Title: Report on Stream Depletion of the San Juan River Basin in Colorado - March 1960
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Potential Use

Land owners of the Pine River Valley have delayed investment in

irrigation expansion anticipating the construction of needed canal

facilities by the federal government as originally proposed under the

Pine River Extension Project. Since release of the August 1958 report

on this project, it appears the irrigation works as planned for federal

construction will not be built.

At the present time the magnitude of future expansion is uncertain.

Field obse~Jations and opinions of those closely associated with Pine

River irrigation indicate that at least an additional 5,000 acres will

be irrigated. This, together with the 37,880 acres irrigated in 1959,

would give an ultimate irrigated area of 42,880 acres.

Since the construction of the Vallecito Reservoir, the water not

required for irrigation has been bypassed downstream for the benefit

of fish life.

Watershed runoff under close control by the Vallecito Reservoir

will supply the anticipated full requirements of the Pine River Valley,

including the 5,000--acre expansion, and provide approximately 30,000,

acre feet annually of controlled water for other consumptive use pur-

poses.

Potential use of the surplus Pine River water controlled by the

Vallecito Reservoir is the preservation of fish life, domestic and

industrial use in the San Juan River Basin and the exportation of water

from the Pine River for use in other areas of the San Juan River Basin

and in the Rio Grande River Basin in Colorado.

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