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Fontanari and Carey Water Rights and Irrigation Report <br />Introduction <br />This report provides water rights and irrigation engineering information along with cost estimates on the <br />feasibility of providing sprinkler and micro -spray irrigation to lands owned by Rudolph Fontanari and <br />Jason Carey located in Mesa County, Colorado. Historically, wild flood irrigation through unlined ditches <br />has been utilized to irrigate these lands. Wild flood irrigation generally has low irrigation efficiency, <br />estimated at 50%, caused by runoff, infiltration and ditch seepage. Comparatively, sprinkler and micro - <br />spray methods have estimated efficiencies around 85%. Micro -spray is a cross between surface spray <br />irrigation and drip irrigation. Micro -spray typically creates a larger wetted area then drip irrigation <br />making it well suited for irrigating orchards, ground covers, large flowerbeds and sandy soil. <br />Evidence presented by the property owner indicates that irrigation water has seeped into subsurface <br />mining voids under the Fontanari and Carey properties reducing the volume of water available for <br />irrigation and subsequent plant growth and development. Additionally, the continued use of wild flood <br />irrigation is not recommended and may further compromise surface integrity should the subsurface <br />mining voids collapse from wetted or saturated conditions caused by flood irrigation. <br />The Martin Crawford Ditch has irrigated portions of the Fontanari and Carey properties. The proposed <br />plan is to pipe the Martin Crawford Ditch to the Fontanari and Carey properties in a pressure conduit <br />which will provide operating pressure for sprinkler and micro -spray irrigation. The elimination of wild <br />flood irrigation will reduce the volume of water susceptible to seepage. <br />Water Rights <br />Mr. Fontanari owns three absolute senior priorities of the four water right priorities decreed to the <br />Martin Crawford Ditch. The headgate has a decreed location at a point on the right bank of Rapid Creek <br />whence the northwest corner of Section 1, Township 11 South, Range 98 West, of the 6th Principal <br />Meridian bears North 430 34' west 4076.6 feet. The ditch is located in Water District 72 of Water <br />Division No.5 as administered by the State's Colorado Division of Water Resources. <br />The ditch's first priority was decreed for 1.3 cubic -feet per second (cfs) for irrigation purposes with a <br />June 28, 1929 priority date and was adjudicated in Civil Action 5812 on July 25, 1941. The ditch's second <br />priority was decreed for 1.3 cfs for domestic use, including livestock purposes during the non -irrigation <br />season with a June 28, 1929 priority date and was adjudicated in Civil Action 5812 on July 25, 1941. <br />The ditch's third priority was decreed for 4.0 cfs for irrigation purposes with a May 1, 1942 priority date <br />and was adjudicated in Civil Action 8303 on July 21, 1959. The decree specifies that over 200 acres of <br />additional lands were brought under cultivation with this priority. <br />Fox Engineering Solutions, Inc. October 2016 Page 3 <br />