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<br />I <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />0677 <br /> <br />80. Water supply problems. - The surface water supp~ of the <br /> <br /> <br />Purgatoire River is a limiting factor in the development of the economw <br /> <br /> <br />of the watershed. The use of water, and water rights have long been <br /> <br /> <br />the subject of litigation. Decreed rights on the Purgatoire River for <br /> <br /> <br />diversion and storage date from 1861. The stream flow is erratic and <br /> <br /> <br />unseasonable for timely irrigation use. Low flows are adequate to <br /> <br /> <br />satisfy only a few of the earlier rights. Only at times of flood is the <br /> <br /> <br />flow of the river adequate to satisfy all needs; however, floods are of <br /> <br /> <br />short duration ar.d effective use cannot be made of all of the water <br /> <br /> <br />available at such times. Often too, the diversion works are rendered <br /> <br /> <br />partially or wholly inoperative by flood damage in which case little or <br /> <br /> <br />no water can be diverted. Further, floodwaters of the Purgatoire River <br /> <br /> <br />carry large amounts of sediment which cannot be entire~ separated from <br /> <br /> <br />the water by even the most efficient sluicing devices. The coarse sedi- <br /> <br /> <br />ment is deposited in the irrigation distribution systems and the finer <br /> <br /> <br />is carried onto the lands. i'laintemmce of the canals and laterals is <br /> <br /> <br />thereby great~ increased and absorption of water by the crop lands is <br /> <br /> <br />retarded. <br />81. Except for limited storage in the Model Reservoir, which <br /> <br /> <br />supplies about 5,000 acres of the irrigated area, no storage or regula- <br /> <br /> <br />tion are available for the flows of the Purgatoire River. Consequently, <br /> <br /> <br />a dependable fully-regulated water supply is not available for the proj- <br /> <br /> <br />ect Iand's. Although the total average annual water supply of the <br /> <br /> <br />Purgatoire River, diverted to the present~ irrigated lands, i.s adequate <br /> <br /> <br />to meet irrigation requirements, the lands fall far short of maximum <br /> <br /> <br />productivity because of the undependable and sporadic nature of this <br /> <br /> <br />water supply. Increased facilities for the storage and regulation of <br /> <br /> <br />the flows of the Purgatoire River are essential if the project lands <br /> <br /> <br />are to produce crops commensurate with their capability. Reliable pro- <br /> <br /> <br />duction of high-value crops, as well as' grain and hay ,crops is required <br /> <br />32 <br /> <br />_.','V-,;-. <br /> <br />