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transferred to Yamcolo Reservoir (see previous discussion). In 1994, UYWCD made <br />20,854 acre-feet of this conditional water right absolute at Stagecoach Reservoir. <br />The third water right is associated with the former Four Counties Ditches No. 1 and No. <br />3, a conditional direct flow right owned by the UYWCD that has been changed to allow <br />storage in Stagecoach Reservoir. In the Water Court change case, storage at Stagecoach <br />Reservoir pursuant to these rights is limited to the amounts of water physically available <br />in priority at the original headgate locations, which are located on several of the major <br />tributaries that flow into the Yampa from the drainage area north of Rabbit Ears Pass. <br />From prior studies performed by W. W. Wheeler, it has been determined that the yield of <br />the Four Counties water rights is generally limited to the seasonal runoff period, April <br />through mid-July. After mid-July, low streamflows and local calls on the tributaries <br />preclude diversions by the Four Counties rights. <br />In 1994, UYWCD made a portion of the Four Counties direct flow rights absolute for <br />storage in Stagecoach Reservoir in the cumulative amount of 83 cfs (10 cfs at a decreed <br />headgate location on a branch of Granite Creek; 11 cfs at a location on Granite Creek; 26 <br />cfs at a location on Fishhook Creek; and 36 cfs at a location on Long Park Creek). An <br />average annual volumetric limit has been developed to represent the available yield of the <br />Four Counties water rights at the four original headgate locations for which flow rates <br />have been made absolute. These average yield estimates (acre-feet) are shown below. <br />Note that these values do not represent the potential yield of the entire Four Counties <br />Proj ect water rights owned by the UYWCD but rather represent an estimate of the <br />potential yield which could reasonably be expected to be used for storage at Stagecoach <br />Reservoir. <br />Potential Yield of Absolute Four Counties Water Rights (acre-feet) <br />April May June July TOTAL <br />465 3,679 7,639 1,196 12,979 <br />When Stagecoach Reservoir is being filled, storage under the senior Four Counties direct <br />flow rights should be limited to no more than the available yield as recommended by the <br />above values. <br />The UYWCD originally allocated a total of 15,000 acre-feet of storage water in <br />Stagecoach Reservoir for sale annually as follows: Municipal Users - 2,000 acre-feet; <br />Industrial Users (Tri-State) - 9,000 acre-feet; and Agricultural Users - 4,000 acre-feet. <br />Pursuant to two 1992 Agreements between the UYWCD and Tri-State, the parties agreed <br />to exchange the 4,000 acre-feet of water that Tri-State is entitled to in Yamcolo Reservoir <br />to a Tri-State account in Stagecoach and similarly exchange the 4,000 acre-feet of <br />Agricultural water in Stagecoach upstream to storage in Yamcolo Reservoir. Pursuant to <br />these agreements, Tri-State also reduced its original industrial allocation from 9,000 acre- <br />feet to 7,000 acre-feet. As a result of these Agreements, the storage in Stagecoach <br />Reservoir is now allocated as follows: <br />Yampa River Basin Information 2-14 <br />