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

003265

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consumptively used in the basin, 24,200 acre feet are measured as return

flow and 12,900 acre feet are returned as flow of unmeasured streams leaving

the State of Colorado.

Potential Water Use

Potential expansion of irrigation by the importation of additional water

from the Dolores River is under study by the Bureau of Reclamation. A statuE

of study report outlining proposed new irrigation in the Cortez-Dove Creek

area was released in 1954. A feasibility report is scheduled for completion

in 1960.

The 1954 status report indicates that full utilization of the runoff

of the Dolores River for use in the Cortez-Dove Creek area will provide a

supplemental water supply for 30,550 acres of irrigated land and a full
supply for 35,450 acres of new land. The additional water to be imported

by this project would be 145,800 acre feet annually. This, together with
",8,.....'0
the 112,200 acre feet presently imported would make a total of ~g~OQ

acre feet per year imported from the Dolores River.

The construction of the proposed project will result in a total
'2.-0; , tytlv
annual stream depletion for the Dolores River of 208,080 acre feet and

the return flow of 111,300 acre feet of water leaving the McElmo Creek

Basin as inflow to the San Juan River.

The estimated present and potential stream depletion in the McElmo

Creek Basin is given in the following Table XXVIII.

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