WSP01844

• File Number: 8441.400
• Description: Colorado Big Thompson Project - Reports
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 6/1/1952
• Author: HE Prater
• Title: Irrigation Aspects of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

o
o serve only a'few farms to very complex systems of-diversion work,
~ supp.lyand di$tribution canals, and storage reservoirs. Some. of the
-..J .largerreseryoirs in the District and their respective capa.cities are:
W Ri:verside-'-57, 507acrefeet;3ackson--35, 629 aCre feet; Empire--
-..:l . 3'l';7'09acre.feet;Bijou--'91,183 acre feet: Prewitt--32, 300 adre feet;
. North Sterlin'g(Point of Rocks)~-73; 920 acre feet; Julesburg--2B, 178
. acre feet; Boyd Lake--44, 100 acre feet: Loveland and Greeley--14, 250
acre feet: McjGrew--21, 500 acre feet; and Windsor--18, 600 acre feet.

Studies of the existing water resources indicate average short-
ages of O. 64 ~f an acre-foot per acre on land in the upper part of the
District and q. 48 of an acre-foot per acre in the lower part of the Dis-
trict during the 1920-1947 period. The supplemental requirements are
average for tl)e entire District and include ditches with adequate or
nearly adequate supplies: hence shortages for canals which are expected
to use project: water are greater than these average figures would indi-
cate.

The ~orthern Colorado Water Conservancy District will accept
water delivered through project works to the Little Thompson, Big
Thompson, Cache la Poudre, and South Platte Rivers and St. Vrain and
Boulder Creej{s and win allot and distribute the water to municipalites,
irrigation districts, mutual ditch companies or corporations, and indi-
vidual landown:ers within the District.

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..".

AllotIj:lent contracts between the District and the water users
are based on tile contemplated average annual supply of 310,000 acre
feet. The allotments are expressed in terms of acre feet; by definition,
an acre-foot ir\ the allotment contracts is 1/310,000 of the annual supply.
Under terms of the contracts and on the basis of the defined acre-foot,
each allottee agrees to pay to the Conservancy District $:1. 50 for each
acre-foot of w~ter allotted to him. Furthermore, he agrees to pay this
assessment ev,ry year regardless of the quantity of water actually re-
quired by or delivered to him.

Under the provision of the Consel-vancy District Act, water.
may be allotted; under three classifications secured by taxation proce-
dures or by sedured contracts with mutual: irrigation companies. Class
"B" allotments lare made to municipalities which agree to secure pay-,
ment'S by taxatiQn of city property. Class "c" aBotments are made to
organized irrig~tion districts which tax the I:ands within SLlch districts.
Class "D" !llllot~ents are made to individual: landowners who may petH.
tion for and be granted an al:lotment of water to a specific tract of land;
mpst of the wat~r will: be al:l:otted by this method. Also, under Section
25 of the Act, w<ater may be sold to mutual ditch companies or corpol'-
rations under cqntracts secured by agreement to levy the necessary as-
sessments on toe stockholders..

Beginning in 1938, the Conservancy District proceeded to
allot project walier to the District water users. To date, 211,476 of
the ;no, 000 acre feet units had been contracted under these procedures,

,,-..c'

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