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<br />-52- <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />The valley-fill or alluvial aquifer in former Water District 1 is very <br /> <br /> <br />large, perhaps containing as much as 3 million acre-feet in transient <br /> <br /> <br />storage (Morton W. Bittinger and Associates, 1968). /\.bout 900 alluvial <br /> <br /> <br />wells have been constructed in this district. Prior to 1965, these <br /> <br /> <br />alluvial wells could be pumped without regulation, their use undoubtedly <br /> <br /> <br />had an impact on senior surface water appropriators. Since 1974, their use <br /> <br /> <br />has been regulated, subject to rules and regulations developed by the State <br /> <br /> <br />Engineer, and thus injury to senior appropriators has been averted by the <br /> <br /> <br />implementation of various augmentation plans. <br /> <br />Water District 64 <br /> <br />This district extends from the Balzac gaging station downstream to the <br /> <br /> <br />state line (Figure 10). /\.bout 177,000 acres are irrigated along this reach <br /> <br /> <br />of the river. Of this total, about 34,000 acres are irrigated with water <br /> <br /> <br />released from North Sterling Reservoir which receives diversions from <br /> <br /> <br />former water District 1 (Wright Water Engineers, 1967). <br /> <br />More than 3,600 cfs have been decreed to the ditches in this district under <br /> <br /> <br />priorities ranging from 1872 through 1904 (Wright Water Engineers, 1967). <br /> <br /> <br />Julesburg Reservoir is the only major storage facility in this district, <br /> <br /> <br />with a decreed storage capacity of over 28,000 acre-feet. <br /> <br />There were over 2000 wells registered in former Water District 64 in 1966 <br /> <br /> <br />(Wright Water Engineers, 1967). The alluvium in this reach is a much <br /> <br /> <br />narrower area underlying and adjacent to the SOuth Platte River than that <br /> <br /> <br />found in former Water District 1. Some lands irrigated in this former <br /> <br /> <br />water district are not underlain by alluvium capable of supplying <br /> <br /> <br />irrigation water; consequently, the irrigators are dependent upon surface <br /> <br /> <br />water diversions for their total water supply. The water users in the <br /> <br /> <br />North sterling system are notable examples of this situation. <br />