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<br />R.G.Hosee, Do~~ty st~to Engineer, then rc~d tho fol-
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<br />.' lowinG peper on "Return flow to South Platte River."
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<br />R.C.HOSSA: "Old timers fcmili,-~r with the South Platte in
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<br />the oerl.y d:cys st~,te thr,t in the "sevent;j'S" theTa W2,;\ some
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<br />tcclk in irrigcction on [', lo.l"ge scr,le on the lower river but
<br />thr,t it wes looked u)on cs visiol1c,ry end :-cs pr01J['.b ly started
<br />by the Union Pecific RrilroC'.d which ho.d recently constructed
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<br />Its lino through the country,
<br />"They tostify further thr,t c.ftor tho sprinG floods hc.d
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<br />pc,ssed, the . r i vcr "\Je,1t dry S omowl:ere between Ft. Morgr,n (',nd
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<br />Sterling CenCi conti nued either dry or very low during the hot
<br />summor months. (Soe foot notel
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<br />"llov0rthcless !eWr.y irrigcotion eo.n('.ls \Vere built during
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<br />.1
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<br />the oightics, until in 19G8 tho report of the w,~ter commis;;
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<br />sioner cf Ihstrict 110. I (which c.t th;ct time extonded frO)jl
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<br />the mouth of the Poudre te the 3t(',te lino 1 showed 238 miles
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<br />of di tches irr igrcting r. totE'.l of 39,719 r,CTeS. This sr.mo
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<br />w(',tor comr,lissionor rocommended :"t this time tho.t r, str,te lC'.w
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<br />should be ~:'.ssed forbidding the buil(1.ilig of ccny morc direc:t T
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<br />irrigc',tion d itches from the South Pl:',tte river ~,s the \.',.-[',tcr
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<br />supply for such ditcDcS w~s exh~usted.
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<br />FOOTlI01:'n;
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<br />u. S. De)~crtrn()tlt of Agr icul tur e,
<br />Bulletin No. 157, ~~Ge 46.
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<br />"SUi%lin; 11lJ these stL,temonts, the 2-ccounts of the eE'.rly
<br />tro,v81ors 2.lld oX"jJloX'el"s, \'/;1ile il0t 'O"vc,ting tho:t the river was
<br />dry, ~,11 agree r,8 to its bei ng very low in svmmor. The testi-
<br />mony of )22'ties livine: ill ",;he Pl8-tte 112,1 Ie:',' shO"c'l thc.t the
<br />ri ver WLS c'r,y in lJlc-80S, c,nc' for short :J8-riods r,t le8-st during
<br />the yurT" 1%3, 1664, 1665, 1%1'" 1371, 1'37'1, and 1875. For
<br />these yec~8 we h2-ve definite stc.t~ments. For the years 1963
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