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

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INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

Senate Bill 407 of 'the 46th session of the Colorado General Assembly authorized
the Coordinator of Natural Resources to undertake a study leading to recommen-
dations for legislation which would provide for the Integrated use of ground
and surface water and to a fuller utilization of the waters of the State.
The objectives of the study, in the language of the bill, are: "...to Investigate
relationships in the areas where Intermingled surface and ground waters are
commonly used In conjunction with each other on the same lands Immediately
adjoining, for the same purpose of irrigation; to determine the need for and
content of legislation which would provide for integrated administration of
all diversions and uses of water within the State, protect all vested water
rights, conserve water r~sources for maximum beneficial use and permit full
utilization of all waters in the state...".

In this undertaking, he was authorized to call upon private engineers to
work In cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board staff. It
was decided to concentrate initially on the Arkansas and South Platte River
Basins and to assign portions of each river to qualified engineering consultants
and to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, so that each could make detailed
studies of historic patterns of operation and to del ineate the needs and problems
of the assigned areas, In this manner sufficient factual information would be
accumulated to provide for the formulation of the desired legislation. The
Initial assignments, which led to reports submitted to the Coordinator of
Natural Resources at the end of 1967, were as fallows:

Platte River Basin

I. Wright Water Engineers, Water District 64, Balzac to Julesburg at
the state line.

2. Bittinger and Associates, Water District No. I, Kersey to Balzac.

3. Colorado Water Conservation Board, Water District No.2, Clear
Creek to Kersey.

Arkansas River Basin

I. W. W. Wheeler and Associates and Woodward-Clyde and Associates.

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Reports covering the above locations were submitted by the engineers at the
end of 1967. In April of 1968, additional assignments were made as follows:

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1. Bittinger and Associates, Water Dlstrlcts,:No. 2 and 3, South Platte
River from Clear Creek to Kersey and the Cache la Poudre River.

2. Wright Water Engineers, Water District No.8, South Platte River
from Denver to ~outh' Platte.

3. w. W. Wheeler and Associates and Woodward-Clyde and Associates,
continuation of studies on the Arkansas River.