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<br />I <br />p <br />Z~ <br /> <br />~ <br />";'-~ <br /> <br />~~ <br />~ <br />,,~. <br />>. <br /> <br />~. <br />i( <br /> <br />. <br />. ~ <br />" <br />K' <br />J <br /> <br />i <br />~'I: <br />H <br />I <br /> <br />I <br />t <br />ti <br />r <br />f <br />! <br />I <br />I <br /><<- <br /> <br />,Ii <br /> <br />,.. ~"'H'-_U."_____,,., " .' ~ -' <br /> <br />H' <br />'J') <br />'<;:J" <br />CJ <br />('.:> <br />(~) <br /> <br />srtJDY ITEM 6 - IDENTIFY GENERAL IJX:ATION AND ESTIMATE ACRES THAT <br />NEED DRAINAGE, CONDUCl'ING PRELIMINARY FIELD SURVEYS AND CHECKS <br />TO ESTABLISH NEED AND FEASIBILITY. (Refer to Map-8, Soil and <br />Water Table.) <br /> <br />Information for needed land drainage was obtained fran on-the- <br />farm needs data sheets by oontacting III fanners whose farms <br />were oonsidered representative of the study area. The data <br />were expanded on an acreage basis to include all the irrigated <br />land (crop, hay and pasture) of the area. Individual data <br />sheets supporting this work are on file at the SCS office in <br />Monte Vista, Cblorado. <br /> <br />About 29,000 acres of land are planned to be drained in the next <br />10 years whether or not cost-sharing is available. About 83,000 <br />acres would be drained if cost-sharing of 50 percent or rrore <br />oould be made available. These figures represent only about 28 <br />percent of the land in the area which would benefit fran drainage. <br />The acreage is indicative of land that has the local support for <br />drainage =rpletion in the next 10 years. <br /> <br />Assuming that an acre of land drainage will cost around $30 and <br />that 83,000 acres will be drained with cost-sharing, $2,490,000 <br />will be required in the next 10 years. From preliminaJ:y field <br />surveys and checks, all of the planned drainage appears feasible. <br /> <br />STUDY ITEM 7 - INVESTIGATE FEASIBILITY OF IMPROVING AND DELIVERING <br />WATER SUPPLIES FroM STREAMS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE SANGRE DE <br />CRISTO RANGE. <br /> <br />Fifteen streams tributary to the closed basin were investigated. <br />Water losses in canals fran these streams are high in the porous <br />alluvial fans between the rrountains and the irrigated land below. <br />Water lost oontributes to the high ground water table in the closed <br />basin. Ditch lining or pipelines are needed to make rrore eoonanical <br />use of the water. Extensive seepage control measures in the systans <br />along the Valley rim may have a detrirrental effect on artesian <br />aCXIUifer recharge, particularly outside the closed basin. <br /> <br />Nine of the systans listed are for groups of water users. (Table <br />5 gives an estimate of ditch lining or pipeline needs and costs.) <br />Rancher interest in some of these develcpments is high, but <br />a=mplishrrents will be slow without substantial oost-sharing. <br />(Locations are sha.vn on Map-9, Canal Lining and Pipeline Needs _ <br />West Slope of Sangre de Cristo Range.) <br /> <br />11 <br /> <br /> <br />