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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />USFWS - Palisade/Grand Junction Stream Flow Analyses - DRAFT <br />May 12, 1995 <br />'Page 15 <br /> <br />Irrigatiqn District and Orchard Mesa Irrigation District. The Grand Valley Irrigation <br />Company operates the Grand Valley Canal. <br /> <br />The 1991 and 1992 local inflow settings were previously discussed with each manager and <br />they indicated that their 1991 and 1992 operations were similar and typical of other years. <br />Each noted the relatively wet late fall (particularly around the end of October) as being <br />a possible cause of increased local inflow. <br /> <br />In 1993 representatives of each irrigation company agreed that 1993 was a good water <br />year as indicated by the high flows in August. We further explored with each manager <br />their operations (irrigation returns and administrative wastes) that may influence flows <br />. in the ,15 mile critical reach. The following summarizes their responses. Mr. Klapwyck <br />indicated that the Government HighIine has no direct returns to the critical reach. He <br />indicated, that Indian Wash was the first point returns are sometimes made. Mr. James <br />,Rooks at Orchard Mesa Irrigation District indicated that they have the capability to <br />discharge during storm events or to drain the ditches of up to 60 cfs from Canal No.2 <br />down Sink Creek, and about 40-50 cfs from Canal No.1 down a gulch near 33 Road. He <br />doesn't recall making any releases in 1993 down these gulches. Mr. Charlie Guenther <br />at Grand Valley Irrigation Company indicated that they infrequently discharge water down <br />the "Miller Drain" located in Section 5, TIS, R2E, and down Lewis Wash (usually 0-5 <br />cfs) after they deliver water to Mesa County Ditch. The canal company has also in the <br />past run domestic water, however Charlie did not remember running water for the past <br />two years, and that in 1991 water may have been run but only for about 10 days and it <br />began to freeze so they stopped_diversions. The water during domestic diversions is run <br />out the end of the ditch and not down the side drains of the critical reach. <br /> <br />In 1994, Mr. Klapwyck felt demand was heavy compared 10 previous years, commenting <br />that they had 10 to 14 days with temperatures ranging from 100 to 104 degrees. He also <br />commented that they were having problems with the Cameo Gage readings. He was <br />under the impression that it was showing about 200 cfs more than what was actually in <br />the river. Mr. Bertrand stated the Grand Valley Canal ran domestic diversion water in <br />December for six days, Mr. Rook, with Orchard Mesa stated they began stabilizing the <br />river on July 15, by placing flash boards at the end of the return ditch to keep water in <br />the river for the Grand Valley Canal. By July 18, the check dam was put into full <br />operation and operated at various levels into October. <br /> <br />Figure 8 compares the calculated local inflows to the timing of operations of the Grand <br />Valley Project (Grand Valley Canal and Government Highline Canal Diversions). Based <br />on an update of provisional data obtained in 1993, we suspect that the calculated local <br />inflow drop in mid to late November consists of a combination of; 1) cessation of <br />irrigation return flows and 2) miscalculations of local inflow due to flow variances <br />caused by significant operation changes of the Grand Valley Project for irrigation and <br />