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<br />1881 <br /> <br />Alternatives for Storage <br /> <br />A. Adobe Creek and Horse Creek Reservoirs (owned by FLCC): <br /> <br />These reservoirs, capacity 87,000 af and 28,000 af respectively, hold relatively junior <br />priorities. In some years these do not store any water under their priorities during the non- <br />winter storage period. During the winter storage period, either or both of these store water <br />under the decreed winter storage program (84 CW 179). Permission from the FLCC is <br />necessary to use the reservoirs (FLCC bylaws art. II, sec. 1; art. VI). It is assumed that the <br />FLCC would require that any water bank use be subject to the pre-existing methods of use <br />for the FLCC shareholders. <br /> <br />Delivery of water from Adobe and Horse Creek Reservoirs to users would, in some <br />instances, require use of a portion of the FLC. Such use would be subject to the availability <br />of capacity, payment of ditch transit losses, and perhaps a monetary charge. Some transit <br />losses in the outlet channel would occur. Operational schemes, such as exchanges between <br />the reservoir outlet channel and the main headgates, are presented later in some detail. <br /> <br />B. Queen Reservoir (owned by Amity Mutual Irrigation Company): <br /> <br />Queen Reservoir can deliver only to the FLC and the Amity Canal. No wasteways currently <br />exist which would allow an efficient release of this water from the FLC or the Amity Canal <br />to the Arkansas River. Even if constructed, the most upstream point of delivery to the <br />Arkansas River would be at the mouth of Big Sandy Creek. This point on the Arkansas <br />River is below any foreseeable market for the water. Downstream irrigation use, either <br />directly or by well, is not deemed a likely market because the cost of water bank water will <br />probably be too high. While there is always the possibility of new industrial use in <br />downstream towns, e.g. Holly or Granada, that is not believed to be a large enough market <br />to justify use of Queen Reservoir for the water bank. <br /> <br />Further, Queen Reservoir suffers from very high ditch losses in the ditches leading from the <br />FLC to the reservoir, in the outlet ditches, and from evaporation because it is a shallow <br />reservoir. Further, release into Big Sandy Creek for delivery to the Arkansas River would <br />result in high transit losses since Big Sandy Creek is in a broad porous alluvium. <br /> <br />C. Pueblo Reservoir (owned by the United States and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation <br />pursuant, in part, to contracts with the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District): <br /> <br />Pueblo Reservoir has a conservation capacity of 234,347 af and holds a very junior storage <br />priority. The reservoir cannot store native Arkansas River Basin water until John Martin <br />Reservoir conservation storage is full, or is predicted to fill shortly. When Pueblo Reservoir <br />stores under its priority and fills, water bank water would be forced out and lost under the <br />current spill priorities in the contract between the Southeastern District and the Bureau of <br />Reclamation. <br /> <br />8-11 <br />