WSP08165

• File Number: 8407
• Description: Platte River Basin - River Basin General Publications
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 7/24/1992
• Author: USGS
• Title: The Barr Lake Plan
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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community maintained, while permitting increased municipal uses to be accommodated. This
can best be accomplished by increasing efficiency in the use of return flows and by multiple
use of facilities for the benefit of all concerned.

Under the Plan, the Barr Lake shareholders would agree to accept their water at or below
Barr Lake. Tying this water to Barr Lake results in its preservation, as contrasted with the
prospect of gradual transfer of this water out of the Barr system on a share by share basis. In
return, the Barr shareholders are to receive fair compensation for the use of their water and
facilities, since they would be foregoing the opportunity to sell their water out of the system.
Passing through this compensation 10 the current owners of the water rights in the Barr
system not only preserves the location of use, but eliminates the economic pressure to sell the
water for the higher prevailing municipal values. The economic pressure to sell is increasing
daily as farmers are faced with low returns from agriculture and potentially high gains from
the sale of their water to municipalities.

Storage or use of Barr Lake water upstream should not result in a depletion of the amount of
water stored in Barr Lake to the detriment of habitat. With input from the environmental
community and State Parks and Division of Wildlife personnel, Barr Lake storage can be
managed in a manner which preserves and enhances wildlife habitat. For example, the historic
low storage condition in Barr Lake occurs in the late fall and winter months, exactly at the
time when conditions for algae die off and oxygen depletion are most likely to result in a fish
kill at Barr. Increased storage levels and improved water quality conditions at Barr, achieved
by storing new municipal water supplies in the reservoir, could substantially alleviate this
condition, Conversely, late season draw down at Barr Lake creates the shoreline habitat at
Barr necessary for fall migration of shorebirds, Integration of alternate places of storage or
transfer to the Beebe alluvium can result in an optimum pattern of use for Barr Lake, not only
for municipal and agricultural uses, but for wildlife as well.

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