WSP00697 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 003264 TABLE XXVI Return Flow in Return Flow in Return Flow in Year 1000 Acre Feet Year 1000 Acre Feet Year 1000 Acre Feet 1942 19.3 1948 26.8 1954 20.8 1943 29.0 1949 26.2 1955 26.5 1944 24.4 1950 26.9 1956 20.2 1945 28.4 1951 14.5 1946 26.1 1952 24.9 15-yr. 1942-56 Av. 24.2 1947 29.5 1953 20.0 4-yr. 1953-56 Av. 21.9 Present Water Use Water use in the McElmo Creek Basin includes irrigation and municipal use by the City of Cortez. Irrigated crops are alfalfa, grain, beans and fruit. A study of the arable land of the basin by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1936 shows a total area of 37,960 acres was irrigated at that time. Recent studies of the Bureau show irrigation has been expanded to a present total of 41,000 acres. This is an increase of 8.0% since 1936. The population of the Town of Cortez has increased from 2,680 in 1950 to a population of about 8,500 in 1959. An estimate of the present annual stream depletion is given in the following Table XXVII. TABLE XXVII Average annual stream depletion by irrigation........ Average annual stream depletion by evaporation....... Average annual stream depletion by municipal use..... 71,800 Acre Feet 2,400" " 900" " Total 75,100 Acre Feet Available stream runoff records and water consumptive use estimates indicate that of the 112,200 acre feet of water annually imported to the McElmo Creek drainage basin from the Dolores River, 75,100 acre feet are -38-