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<br />1065 <br /> <br />totaling less than 100 acres that are presently irrigated by well only. If <br />the owners wished to obtain the protection from regulation afforded by the plan, <br />the Oxford Farmers Ditch Company should make appropriate arrangements for these <br />particular landowners to become shareholders in the Company. In addition, those <br />wells which irrigate lands under the Highline Canal are not considered in the <br />plan. <br /> <br />The plan outlined above cannot possibly adversely affect any senior <br />rights downstream. In fact, the, river will gain water at times due to reduction <br />of the maximum diversion from 129.4 cfs to 89.4 cfs. Also, during periods of <br />low flow, streamflow would be augmented by the amount of well water added to <br />compensate for the depletion caused by pumping. Under present conditions which <br />have prevailed for many years, all wells pump at will and the only compensation <br />for the resulting depletion is a small increase in return flow. In fact, the <br />only adverse effect of the plan would be to the shareholders in the Oxford <br />Farmers Ditch, for they would forfeit whatever amount of water is returned to <br />the stream as compensation for depletion caused by pumping from wells during <br />critical periods and they would incur additional pumping expense when bypassing <br />a portion of their headgate diversion. The major benefit of the plan is that <br />the use of company and shareholder-owned wells would be legalized thus avoiding <br />the possibility of being shut down by administrative authorities. <br /> <br />- 25 - <br />