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<br />c.J <br />"' <br />C\l <br />o <br />(_J <br />C.) <br /> <br />One of the main advantages of the plan <br />is that a purchaser may carryover any Un- <br />used portion of water purchased from year <br />t.o year and accumulate in wet years water <br />for use in succcedding- dry years, so long as <br />the aggregate amount of water carried OVCl' <br />(estimated t.o h~ about seven times the <br />amount pur-chased) docs not exceed his pro- <br />pOl'tionate share of the total capacity of the <br />reservoir. and reserVes so C'stablished will <br />permit raeh watet' llscr to l'egulate his sup- <br />ply from season 10 season and year to year <br />as desi red. <br />The conditions IH'cvailing in the proposed <br />District. where present water suppliC's vary <br />so widely under the different irrigation sys- <br />tems. and often under the same irrigation <br />system, and where the need is solely for sup- <br />plemental supplieR, would indicate that the <br />plan developed by the board for talting ap- <br />plications and allotment of water, provide <br />the utmost flexibility and allow each indi- <br />vidual land owner to decide for himself <br />whether he wants any of the water, and, if <br />so, how much. <br />It would be undesirable or even impossi- <br />ble to adopt. any plan which would in any <br />way exert any compulsion on anyone. <br />The g-reatest benefits can be secured and <br />prompt repaytnent more nearly assured by <br />the careful allotment of water on the basis <br />of petitions from individual landowners. <br />To be able to Rf>CUre the proper distribu- <br />tion of the water on this basis, it will be <br />necessary that thc cost and terms of pay- <br />ment. be defjnitf'1~. fixed so that any and <br />every landowner who needs supplernental <br />water will f('('1 safe in filing an application. <br /> <br />Method of Allotment <br />of Water <br /> <br />After a gt~nel'al plan is agreed upon be- <br />tween the Board of Directors of The Rio <br />Grande Water Con.sel'vancy Dist.rict, and the <br />Government. and the t<'l'ms of a contract to <br />carry this ag-n~em('nt into ('ffect determined <br />upon, 011' contract will be published and <br />~mbmittcd at a g"pncral or special el('ction to <br />the pl'operty own(~rs fo1' theil' approvaL <br />If the Contract is apPl'oved by the prop- <br />erty ownel's. Ow Roard will then be in a <br />po~it.ion to tnl{c applications for wat<~1'. <br />In thp spring- of IB38. the Board of Gov- <br />ernors of The Rio Gl'ande Wate,' Users' <br />Association pl'evaileo lIpon TIH' Colorado <br />Planning- Cornmission to analyze the various <br />water rig-ht.H on the Rio Grande and dct.el'- <br />minp the production of watcl' in acre fp(~t <br />of each ditch 0)' canal. This required the <br />compilat.ion of watel' deJiveri(~s covering- a <br />period of forty yeal's. <br />Throug-h th(' County l'eeonls of the val'ious <br />counties and information gathered through <br />The Rio Grande Joint Investigation Surve:y <br />and the r(~eOl'ds corn piled hy the Colorado <br />Planning- Commission and The Colorado <br />Water Conservation Board data has been <br />g-athel'cd and is now available so that the <br />Board of Dit'pctol's of The Rio Grande <br /> <br />Water Conservansy District can set up a <br />card file showing description, ownership, <br />valuation, irrigated acreage and amount of <br />water required to supplement already exist- <br />ing water rights and other details concern- <br />ing every f~rm in the District. <br />Records have been obtained from State <br />irrigation officials of water diversions and <br />supplies of the various irrigatton systems <br />now serving these lands. Lists of stock own- <br />ership have been secured from most of the <br />irrigation companies, <br />With aU this information the Board when <br />appointed should be able to determine the <br />approximate annual water supply of each <br />individual irrigated farm or tract to be used <br />as a. guide ill determining the amount of <br />water that eould properly be allotted under <br />t he general poliey adopted. <br />This poliey may be stated to be that only <br />the an101llnt of water sufficient in addition <br />to present supplies to furnish an adequate <br />annual supply shall be allotted to each farm. <br />This is to prevent speculation and to spread <br />the benefits as widely as possible. <br />The Board will not allot water to land.s <br />now dry unless there should be a surplus <br />after all needs for .!upplement.al use have <br />been met. <br />A form of application will be prepared <br />which. under the law, among other things, <br />must definitely state the number of aer~ <br />feet applied for and the maximum amount <br />to be paid per acre foot. This amount may <br />be reduced from year to year when the full <br />amount. is not required to meet the obliga- <br />tions of the District for that year, but can- <br />not be exceeded. <br />A notice win be mailed to all land owners <br />and published to give each one an oppor- <br />tunity to apply for the amount of water de- <br />sired. <br />The Act provides for three classes of peti~ <br />tions for allotment of water. <br />Under Class B, the board may make allot- <br />ments of water to municipalities which <br />agree to secure annual payments by taxation <br />of city property. <br />Under Class C, Irrigation Districts may ~(~_ <br />CUl'e an allotment of water and agree to levy <br />necessary taxes on their district lands to <br />covel' their annual payments. <br />Class D provides authority and method by <br />which individual landowners may petit.ion <br />for an allotment of water for certain tracts <br />of land and agree that the annual C'han{c <br />agreed upon shall be a t.ax lien on the de- <br />scribed land. In other words, the paymen t <br />is to be levied and collected as a part of the <br />County taxes. This is the method by which <br />the great majority of the water will be al- <br />lotted under all three classes. A petition <br />must be filed by the applicant, legal notice <br />published, hearings held by the Board of <br />Directors, and the order of the board adopt- <br />ed and recorded to consummate an allot- <br />ment. <br />Each applicant will be obligated to pay <br />for only that portion of the water which he <br />applies for, which is al1oU+,:d to him on hi~ <br />application. <br /> <br />-111- <br />