WSP02539

• File Number: 8441.400
• Description: The Colorado Big Thompson Project - Reports
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 6/15/1937
• Author: BOR DOI
• Title: Synopsis of Report on CBT Project - Plan of Development and Cost Estimate Prepared by the Bureau of Reclamation - DOI
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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vegetable. Suoh irrigat ion oorresponded with the rWl-off of the streams.

As m ning developed in the State" Denver and other towns grew into oities, .
and after hese oities were oonnected to the East by railroads thema.rkets de-
manded a .ore diversified agriculture t.o supply their needs. Thus a gradual
demand de el.oped for late water which the streams oould not supply.

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From 1890
was provi
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change created a need for st.oring the fl.ood waters fer late irrigati.on.
o 1910 was a period .of reserv.oir o.onstructi.on, during whioh st.orage
d fer all the available water supply .of the streams over and above
irrigati.on requirements for the area here under disoussio~ Muoh of
.opnent t.o.ok plaoe during a deoade of mere than normal run-eft: .on the
.ope and als.o during a period expanding the agrioultural area through-
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s t.o maintain the area under oultivati.on with the depleted run-offs
past 10 years have spread the water supply t.o suoh an extent that
e has h9.d an insufficient water supply to produce full or.ops or
oing the higher values. Attempts have been made t.o supplement the
farm water supply by the devel.opment Of the undergr.ound s.ources by'
m numer.ous wells throughout the regi.on. This is lowering the water
ready is affecting the water supply cJ? the lower South Platte Valley
vas its irrir:ation supply lllrgely from return waters.

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NEED OF SUPPLEMENl'AL WATER

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Under such c.onditi.ons only the .older water rights have anyassuranoe .of
an adequat water, eupply, and in the dryer years the owners '.of juni.or rigl1ts
are foroed t.o c.onfine their :farming to crops that can be matured by the ee.rly
flo.od fl .or that require a minimum amowrl; .of water. In years when the supply
is not c.or ectly estimated c.onsiderable less results. Ordinarily the orops
raised in his and other irrigated areas d.o not oompete with th.ose grown Wlder
rainfall c nditions, but a shortage of water always leads to the raising ,of
m.ore of th competing or.ops. Suoh orops als.o out the inoome Of the irrigati.on
:f'armer bel what he oan earn with the hir;;her type, nono.ompetitive or.ops,.

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On fu ly three-fourths of the 615,000 aores in this area the water supply
is inadequ te, in spite Of every eff.ort to oonserve, st.ore fl.o.od water, .ot
otherwise dd t.o the water supply that has been within the finanoial ability .of
the farmer This inadequaoy is due not only t.o a developnent pr.obably t.oo
large fer he peri.od when run-.off of the streams was muoh higher than at present,
but t.o the :f'aot that the last 10 years have seen a very marked deorease ilJ the
stream 1'1 . It must be emphasized that the additi.onal water supply here o on-
templated s t.o be used for a supplemental supply and not t.o oreatea large new
additi.onal irrigated aoreage.

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There has been expended in this aree.to date fer various types .of ird-
gati.on w.or s, inoluding nearly $750,000 fer pumping plants, most ot whioh,have
been instil. led in the last 10 years, ab.out $:35,000,000 against whioh there is
an outstan ing indebtedness of .only $1,510,650. These people, however, hll<ve
about reao ed their limit as individuals and mUtual irrigation oompanies t.o
providefOJ'themselves a supplemental water supply so badly neededt.o make their