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i When it became apparent that wat.er could be made available to o users on.tfue Big Thompson and Poudre Rivers several years before the o projed wopld be completed and water available to all areas, an interim 1-4 contTact.w~s' negottatedbetween the District and the United Btates. This -.J contractw~-s signed on December 15, 19.50, and provides'that water will w::. be made av.ailable to the District at rates to be set by the United States o from time to time after consulting with the District. Deliveries will be made to the Big Thompson River, at turnouts on the Horsetooth Feeder Canal, andiat the outlet works of Horsetooth Dam, Soldier Canyon Dam, and Carter!Lake Dam. The minimum rate shall be not less than $1. 50 per acre fqot, which is the water rental rate specified in the original repayment :Contract. A unique feature of this contract is the provision, for sale eatly in the spring of each year a variable amount of water on a future deliv!ery basis. The amount of water to be made available on this basis will b;e determined by the Bureau. The water thus sold will be de- livered to the District upon request subject to the capacities of the proj- ect works. : Additional water will be made available each month during the irrigati~n season in amounts and at rates determined after consulta- tions betwe~n the District and the Bureau. Thus, cOl:\ditions affecting supply and qemand of water will determine to a large degree the rates for water r~ntal service under this interim contract. The interim con- tract contaiJ.i).s no requirement that the rentals will produce any specified amount of money nor that it will remain in effect for any definite period of time. It will expire on December 31, however, two years prior to the date the anitial installment under the original repayment contract becomes due. Irrigation Benefits An economic analysis of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project is far beyond tile scope of this paper and will not be attempted here. How- ever, a few 4>f the irrigation benefits will be presented, and the over-aU benefit-cost ratio mentioned. Analysis of project benefits and costs on a IOO-year basis indicates an over-all benefit-cost ratio of 1. 6: 1, arrived at bY, dividing total annual project benefits by total annual Fed- eral costs. pirect tangible irrigation benefits from project lands, com- prising the n~t increase in agricultural production resulting from proj- ect works, h*ve been calculated at $2,415, 250 annpally. Indirect irrigation be4efits, comprising those benefits attributable to irrigation operations an(d arising as the result of direct benefits, have been calcu~ lated at $1,86,7,700 annually. Thus, the total tangible irrigation bene- fits resultinglfrom intensive development through the supplemental irri- gation of agripulturallands of the Colorado Big-Thompson Project will amount to $4,1282, 950 annually, in addition to power benefits and many intangible benlefits arising as a direct result of irrigation power, munici- pal water, ana recreation. ~, " 9 Interior - Reclamation - Denver, Colo. , . . . .~. . ". l