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<br />"..... <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />- 5 ~ <br /> <br />l\) <br />N <br />co cess of river flow at the head of the diversion area. I sa.y residual tributary <br />CJI <br />flow because on practically every tributary of the main river there is diversion <br /> <br />Clr;d use of water for irrigation, and during July, August and September tributary <br /> <br />contributions are small, except for occasional flood spurts. <br /> <br /> <br />For example, during the irrigation season, April through September 1950, <br /> <br />the flow of the Arkansas River at Canon City averaged 630 second feet. Total <br /> <br />diversions by ditches between Canon City and Las Animas, a distance of about 155 <br /> <br />river miles, averaged 1,210 second feet, and the remaining river flow at Las Ani- <br /> <br />mas averaged 100 second feet, or a ratio of about two to one as between total di- <br /> <br />version in the section as compared with main stem inflow at the head of the sec- <br /> <br />tion. <br /> <br />It is thus evident that a condition of over-appropriation exists so far <br /> <br />as the main river is concerned, and that only the most senior rights can divert <br /> <br />reasonably adequate supplies of river flow, while junior rights can be supplied <br /> <br />only at short and intermittent intervals. Commonly, only the priorities of the <br />1860 decade, along vdth some in the earlier years of the 1870 decade, are con- <br /> <br />tinously supplied by the ctlmbination of natural and return flows. <br /> <br />A similar condition of over-appropriation also exists on the tributaries <br /> <br />of the Arkansas. Here, a total of 17,676 second feet has been appropriated under <br /> <br />adjudicated direct flow rights. Opportunities for irrigation from the higher <br /> <br />tributaries are limited by the availability of lands of suitable topography, as <br />well as by the extent of the water supplies. Only about 25 percent of the total <br /> <br />area irrigated from tributaries is situated above Canon City, <br /> <br />Although there are considerable irrigable areas on some of the lower <br /> <br />tributaries, the available water supplies have been over appropriated by the <br /> <br /> <br />present users, who are applyillg water to onl;)' 2. part of those areas. To compare <br /> <br /> <br />total, direct flow water rights with stream flow, for Fountain Creek.- appropri- <br />