1985-06-07_PERMIT FILE - M1974052

• Permit No: M1974052
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 6/7/1985
• Doc Name: DWR MEMO VARRA COMPANIES FN M-74-52
• From: MLRD
• To: RINDAHL & ASSOCIATES INC
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

DF 0
RICHARD D. LAMM 0 JERIS A. DANIELSON
Governor Stale Engineer
* /876
OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
1313 Sherman Street-Room 818
Denver, Colorado 80203
[phone] 1J1�
June 3 1985 ,uW...c; 6f,e6:1:.11 .iLjJu,l;Bs
MEMORANDUM
TO: David Berry, Mined Land Reclamation Divisi
FROM: Hal D. Simpson, Assistant State Engineer Si
-/�
SUBJECT: Varra Companies, Inc. , Amendment, File No. 74-52
NEl/4, Sec. 31, T3N, R67W
As requested, we have reviewed the above referenced application for a Special
Use Permit to mine sand and gravel in Weld County. The application states
that five lakes will be formed in the mining process. It appears that the
combined surface area of the lakes that will be created will total approxi-
mately 110 acres of the total area of 155 acres in the permit. The amount of
water lost to the South Platte River basin due to evaporation from this amount
of water surface is 286 acre-feet per year. The portion of these losses which
occur during the irrigation season (215 acre-feet) is equivalent to the amount
of water needed to meet the total irrigation needs of approximately 140 acres
of corn. We used the modified Blaney-Criddle formula to calculate this
figure. Since the South Platte River is already over-appropriated, this will
result in a significant loss of water to downstream irrigators that, as cur-
rently proposed, will not be mitigated.
We believe that these lakes will be used as wildlife habitat once they are
reclaimed. An impoundment of water that is used for recreational purposes,
including fishery and wildlife, has been defined in Section 37-92-103, CRS
(1973), as putting the water to beneficial use. Since the source of water for
the lakes that will be created by the gravel pit operation is ground water and
the ground water will be used beneficially, we require that a well permit be
obtained from our office. The well permit must be obtained prior to excava-
tion of the gravel pit. Otherwise, Varra Companies will be in violation of
Section 37-90-137, CRS (1973) . Since the proposed gravel pit would be located
in an over-appropriated basin, the well permit could not be obtained until a
court approved plan for augmentation has been developed.
The correct procedure to obtain a well permit is as follows. Varra Companies
should first file for a well permit with this office. The well permit will be
denied since the proposed gravel pit is located in the over-appropriated South