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conditions, especially in the last four years of drought: resulting; in a much longer growing <br />season, and less natural precipitation during that growing period. The requirements varied from <br />80 acre-feet in 1981 (1.46 acre-feet per acre) to 138 acre-feet iri 2000 (2.52 acre-feet per acre). <br />The crop irrigation requirements aze summarized monthly in Table 5. <br />Historic Consumptive Use <br />The methodology remains unchanged from the original study. The historic consumptive use for <br />1971 through 2003 averaged 53.3 acre-feet per year (49 percent of the crop imgation <br />requirement) and ranged from 0 acre-feet several years to 116 acre-feet in 1996. The average <br />annual historic consumptive use for the 1971-2003 period was 27.8 percent of the average annual <br />diversions, dropping to 26.9 percent for the 1984-2003 period from 29 percent for the 1971-1984 <br />period. The historic consumptive use for 1971 through 2003 is shown in Table 6. <br />It is understood and assumed that the agreement acknowledging historic use from 1928 through <br />1984 continues in effect, and that the belief regarding use in the 1928 through 1971 period is still <br />valid. Therefore, the historic consumptive use of the Home Ditch for 1928 through 1984 <br />averaged 87.0 acre-feet per year (87 percent of the crop irrigation requirement), and the historic <br />consumptive use of the Home Ditch for 1928 through 2003 averaged 77.8 acre-feet per year, or <br />75 percent of the crop irrigation requirement, a significant drop. <br />Carrier Water <br />There aze no changes suggested to the recommendations of the original study, and no significant <br />difference in the diversion on the Home Ditch, except for that water diverted into Groundhog <br />Reservoir per the agreement with MVIC in 2001-2003, and the proposed storage of water by <br />DWCD from 2004 on, for purposes of meeting consumptive use from the mining operations and <br />the new ponds when the Home Ditch is not in priority. The recent improvement of parts of the <br />Home Ditch by installing pipe may reduce the 2.26 cfs carver water required in the future, and <br />the holding of excess water by MVIC and/or DWCD for release during the non-imgation season <br />may negate the need to have 0.25 cfs (for stock water and domestic water right) held in trust by <br />DWCD. <br />CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS <br />There are no significant changes from the original study: <br />1. The Home Ditch has historically been used to irrigate a total of 54.7 acres of hay and <br />grass pasture. Some of this has been voluntarily dried up to provide replacement <br />water for water consumed by mining operations, subject to a substitute water supply <br />plan beginning in 2001. <br />2. The crop irrigation requirement for 54.7 acres of hay and pasture grass averaged <br />107.5 acre-feet per year (1.97 acre-feet per acres) :for 1971 through 2003, and ranged <br />from 79.9 acre-feet in 1981 (1.46 acre-feet per acre) to 138 acre-feet per acre in 2000 <br />(2.52 acre-feet per acre). <br />3. The historic water diversions, as shown in the State Engineer's records, averaged <br />191.8 acre-feet per year for 1971 through 2003, and ranged from 0 acre-feet in ten <br />years to 563.2 acre-feet in 1985. <br />