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the west edge of Florence, irrigating about l,250 acres of land in and east of that town. The Hannenkratt ditch, which diverts from the north bank, irri- gates Colorado State Penitentiary land on the flood plain across the river from Florence. The Lester and Atteberry ditch, which diverts from the north bank, irrigates about l80 acres of flood plain east of Florence. Irrigation in the Canon City area serves orchards, some truck crops, and alfalfa. Major irrigation conveyances diverting from the Arkansas River in Water District l4 are the Bessemer Ditch, Colorado Canal, Highline Canal, and Oxford Farmers Ditch. Smaller irrigation ditches are Hamp-Bell, West Pueblo, River- side Dairy, Excelsior, and Collier Ditches. The Bessemer Ditch is diverted through a special outlet in Pueblo Dam. It flows in an open canal through the south side of the city of Pueblo, and through the CF&I Steel Corporation mill partially in a closed conduit, irrigating about 20,000 acres on the St. Charles mesa, southeast of Pueblo. When the ditch is diverting, it also delivers water to the St. Charles Mesa Water District, a municipal user. The Colorado Canal diverts from the north bank about 31 miles upstream from the confluence of the Huerfano River, irrigating about 50,800 acres in Pueblo and Crowley Counties. The Colorado Canal once had exclusive control over the Twin Lakes Reservoir and transmountain diversion system (discussed elsewhere in this report). Irrigators using the canal have sold most of their rights to the transmountain diversion and the storage space in Twin Lakes that formerly regulated those imports to outside interests. The Colorado Canal has two major off-stream storage reservoirs: Lake Henry and Lake Meredith (also known as Bob Creek Reservoir). Water is stored in these reservoirs during the winter. From Lake Henry, the lands irrigated by the Colorado Canal can be irrigated directly by gravity flow. Lake Meredith is topographically too low to irrigate lands by gravity flow. An exchange with the Holbrook Canal, the Fort Lyon Storage Canal, or the Arkansas River is necessary to enable use of Lake Meredith water by users of the Colorado Canal. The Lake Meredith outlet (pl. 3) crosses both canals, before discharging into the river; depending on which canal is in priority at the time, the exchange is made by releasing water through the outlet into the receiving.channel, and diverting a like quantity at the Colorado Canal headgate. To accomplish this exchange, suffi- cient water must be left in the river at the Colorado headgate to satisfy all senior rights downstream between the headgate and either the outlet canal or the headgate of the canal with which the exchange is being made. Water can be delivered from Lake Henry into Lake Meredith. The Highline Canal Company has rights to divert not only native water from the Arkansas River, but also is part owner with the Pueblo Board of Water Works, of the Busk-Ivanhoe transmountain diversion. Highline Canal Company has a contract with the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project to store imported water in that project's Turquoise Lake. Transmountain water is used to supplement direct diversions, and to maintain an even-flowing ditch during irrigation season. The Highline Canal diverts from the south bank at a point just down- stream from the Huerfano River, irrigating 26,000 acres in Pueblo and Otero Counties. The Oxford Farmers Ditch diverts from the south side of the river at a point about 5 miles downstream from the mouth of the Huerfano River, irrigat- ing about 6,000 acres of land in Pueblo and Otero County. . i 33 ~ ....;;toI..._