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<br />-' <br />C\J <br />~ <br /> <br />-, <br /> <br />c~:~'! ); <br />;,.".-. <br /> <br />BUREAU OF RECLAMATION REPORT <br /> <br />flow was found to be sufficient to meet daily irrigation requirements. <br />Average annual run-off of the river at the project diversion site over <br />the period of study is estimated at about 944,900 acre-feet. With <br />allowance for use of return flow an annual diversion from the river of <br />about 225,800 acre-feet would be required for the project as planned. <br />About 14,500 acre-feet of return flow from the higher irrigated areas <br />could be used on community pasture lands in areas of lower elevation. <br />Return flows available to farm units were considered too undependable <br />to be . counted a part of the project water supply. <br /> <br />Operation studies showed that the project water supply would have <br />met requirements of farm lands in all years of the 17 -year period of <br />stUdy except 1931, 1933, 1934, and 1940 when shortages of 16.9, 3.8, <br />39.0, and 30.1 percent, respectively, would have occurred. Smaller <br />shortages would have occured on community pasture lands since these <br />lands are in a position to receive return flow from irrigation on the <br />farm units. In the event the laBarge project now under investigation <br />is constructed to irrigate 8,000 acres from the unregulated flow of <br />Green River with a water right equal in priority to that of the Seed- <br />skadee project, shortages to the Seedskadee project would be increased <br />only nominally. The greatest increase, amounting to 3.1 percent in <br />1934, would have resulted in a total project shortage of 42.1 percent <br />in that extremely dry year. <br /> <br />The Fish and Wildlife Service recommends that certain minimum flows <br />be maintained in the Green Riv€r immediately below the project diversion <br />dam. Such flows, however, could not be maintained during extremely dry <br />years such as 1931, 1934, and 1940 without depriving project land of <br />irrigation water. In most years the overflow at the dam would be ade- <br />quate to maintain fish life. <br /> <br />The project is expected to deplete the flow of the Green River by <br />an average of about 110,400 acre-feet annually. The rest of the water <br />diverted by the project is expected to return to the river channel. In <br />estimating the project stream depletion, allowances were made for water <br />shortages in certain years and USEl of return flow. The depletion would <br />be charged against the consumptive use apportioned the State of Wyoming <br />by the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact. Construction of the Seed- <br />skadee project would not prevent development of Large-scale water proj- <br />ects in the Green River Basin in Wyoming. Subsequent upstream projects, <br />however, would require storage for utilization of spring flood flows in <br />excess of water required by the Seedskadee project. Return flows from <br />upstream developments would further stabilize the late-season water sup- <br />ply for the Seedskadee project. <br /> <br />Quality of Water <br /> <br />Water sampl,es were taken weekly from Green River near the diversion <br />site from March 20, 1947,'to November 4, 1947. Based on standards fixed <br /> <br />7 <br />