WSP04694

• File Number: 8281.400
• Description: Colorado River Studies and Investigations -- Colorado River Depletion Projections
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 6/1/1965
• Author: C. Jex Engineers
• Title: Report on Water Runoff and Stream Depletion of the Main Stem Colorado River Basin in Colorado
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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sur.JI:ARY

Irrigation Use of Water
The total area of irrigated land in the main stem
Color4do River basin and the Little Dolores and Coates Creek
basins upstream from the Colorado-Utah State line is 303,770
acres., This is an increase of 47,753 acres over that reported
by the Bureau of Reclamation as irrigated in 1939. The in-
crease is largely the result of enlargement and extension of
ditch~s and the clearing of land under existing ditches. The
Collbnan Project provided for the only large project type ex-
pansion during the 1939-1964 period. A somewhat larger por-
tion Qf the expansion occurred in the upper basin of higher
altitude than the lower basin.
A review of the work of the Bureau of Reclamation and
the So~l Conservation Service indicates that irrigation in the
basin ~ay well be expanded by an additional 107,060 acres of

land. This together with the land presently irrigated would
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make a' total of 410,830 acres. It is estin,ated that about
16,630' acres of the irrigated land will be required for such

purposEs as new road rights-of-way, reservoir storage of
water, industrial plant sites and hon;e subdivisions, leaving
394,200 acres as the net area of basin irrigated land remain-
ing in: crop production. As a part of the expanded irrigation,
a supp~emental supply of water would be provided for a mini-
mum of 80,980 acres of irrigated land in need of additional
water for full crop production. A major portion of the anti-

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