WSP03715

• File Number: 8449.919
• Description: South Platte Projects
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Date: 7/1/1968
• Author: Wright Water Eng.
• Title: Preliminary Report - Study of Integrated Water Use, South Platte River Basin, Water District No. 8
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

4

This report describes the operation of the main stem of the South Platte
River In Water District No.8 from the confluence of the South Platte River
and Cherry Creek to South Platte. Data has been compiled on water requirements
and supply, the relationship between irrigation and municipal use, and the
need for improved operations In the future.

PROCEDURE

To facilitate the collection of data and to minimize both the time and expense
required, the engineers were instructed to make maximum use of the existing
published and unpublished data available from sources such as the U. S. Bureau'
of Reclamation (USBR), U. S. Geological Survey (USGS), the State Engineer's
Office, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), the Inter-Courty Regional
Planning Commission (ICRPC) and others. Accordingly, numerous dls~ssions
were carried on with representatives of these agencies and with representatives
of the various municipal ities and irrigation ditches concerned with water
operation within Water District No.8,

The scope of this report is 1 imited to the main stem at the South Platte
River within Water District No.8. From the outset it was apparent that the
operation of this teach of the river would differ from other reaches because
of the concentration of urban growth in the Denver Metropolitan area, a fact
which influenced the collection and analysis of data to a considerable degree.
Because municipal boundaries do not coincide with irrigation district boundaries,
it is not possible to correlate directly the use of water by a particular
city to the supply It receives from water rights adjudicated within a particular
district. As an example, the City of Denver and the City of Aurora both
occupy minor portions of the area included in District 8, but are responsible
for a major portion of the water diverted from the South Platte River within
District 8, In addition, bath cities serve water to areas outside of their
city limits extending into other water districts.

DESCRIPTION

Water District No.8 includes the main stem of the South Platte River from
the gauging station located in downtown Denver below the confluence of the
South Platte River and Cherry Creek, upstream to the town of South Platte,
which is located at the confluence of the North and Middle Forks of the South
Platte River. Above South Platte the river forms the dividing lIne between
Water District No. 23 and Water District No.8, with Water District 'No.8 \
being charged with administration of the east bank of the 'Middle Fork of the
South Platte River to a point upstream of Cheeseman Lake. The District .ncludes
all of Douglas County, part of Arapahoe and Jefferson Counties and mare than -0
half of the City and County of Denver.

The area encompassed by Water District No.8 has a mean annual temperature
of approximately 520 . and a mean annual precipitation of about 14 inches.
Precipitation Is sufficient to support native grasses and shrubs but suc-
cessful growth of most crops depends upon Irrigation which was at one time
a major activity of the area. A considerable amount of dry farming Is stilI
practiced in Douglas County but Irrigation from the main stem has steadily
declined through the years as the metropolitan area surrounding Denver has