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<br />.c. <br /> <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. "':"'. ~ ~ <br />as the SWll pi recorded flO1Tn of tl)e Cache la Poudre River near <br />Greeley, col. (7), and eilrtimated seepage return below the gaging <br />station, col. '{8). The seepage return below the Greeley gage was <br />estimated to be 10 percent of the seepage return to the river above <br />Greeley. The Water CollIll1i.ssioner has estimated the return to the <br />river between Fort Collins and Greeley. Expressed as average annual <br />values for the l4-year period of study, 88 percent of the net water <br />supply of 638,200 acre-feet (including precipitation) was depleted. <br />The basin outflow was found to average 74,300 acre-feet per year <br />(including the surplus flows). <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Historic and Future Shortages <br /> <br />A fairly dependable water supply is available to irrigators <br />in the Cache la Poudre Basin, especially with the advent of the <br />Colorado-Big Tholl\Pson Project. However, local observations and <br />reports indicate individual farms and ditches are short of water <br />in years when the over-all basin supply appears adequate due to <br />the uneven distribution of irrigation company shares. Serious <br />shortages are still experienced throughout the basin during <br />drought periods. Study irrigation shortages was limited in this <br />reconnaissance report to finding the yearly over-all shortage of <br />the entire basin. <br /> <br />The estixuated basin shortages are listed in Table 4. These <br />estimates ~fere derived in the following manner. The supply and <br />depletion figures include precipitation and the resuJ.ting shortages <br />reflect pumped water and reuse of return flows to some extent. <br /> <br />Historic Conditions--(l) In 8 years of' the l4-year study <br />period, substantial amounts of water were retained in the plains <br />reservoirs. This was taken as an indication of adequate, or nearly <br />adequate water supply in each year. (Years were: 1947, 49, 51, 52, <br />and 1957-1960). (2) Average basin depletion in these years was <br />found to be 610,000 acre-feet, ranging from 571,500 acre-feet to <br />660,900 acre-feet. (3) Average historic baSin outflow in these <br />years (exclusive of surplus flows) was found to be 56,000 acre- <br />feet. Therefore, a water supply of about 670,000 acre-feet was <br />assumed to represent an adequate supply under historic conditions. <br />Historic shortages were found by subtracting water supply (again <br />disregarding t4~ surplus. flOWS) from 670,000 acre-feet. The <br />indicated historic shortages averaged 61,600 acre-feet per year. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />22 <br />