Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Water Rights <br /> <br />The landowner of the amendment azea, the Hall-Irwin Construction Company, will be providing <br />the necessary water rights for the operation. The landowner owns shares in the Whitney Ditch <br />which can be made available for augmentation. The average yield of the shares owned by the <br />Hall-Irwin Construction Company is 480 acre-fr annually. <br />For the purpose of calculating the average annual consumptive use of the Whitney Ditch shares, <br />a 50 percent irrigation efficiency was assumed. This results in a consumptive use associated with <br />the shazes of approximately 240 acre-fr. This consumptive use far exceeds the losses associated <br />with the mining operations and evaporation from the post reclamation lakes. <br />Augmentation <br />In order to prevent injury of senior water rights along the Cache La Poudre and South Platte <br />Rivers, augmentation of the out of priority depletions at the site will be required. During mining <br />of the amendment area it is estimated that approximately 24.2 acre-fr of groundwater will be <br />consumed each year. A portion of the Whitney Ditch shares described earlier will be committed <br />to augmenting the depletions due to mining. <br />As was mentioned earlier, once the mining operations are complete groundwater will fill the pit. <br />The Whitney Ditch shazes listed previously will also be used to augment the approximately 155.4 <br />acre-fr in evaporative losses from the lakes. These long-term augmentation obligations <br />associated with the reclaimed lakes will be established corresponding to Colorado Water Law <br />and formally addressed once mining nears completion. <br />Surrounding Water Rights <br />Exhibit G-1 shows the permitted and/or adjudicated water rights within one half mile of the site. <br />Well and water rights tabulations from the State Engineer's Office was used to locate the <br />surrounding wells and water rights as shown in exhibit G-1. These tabulations aze also included <br />at the end of this section. <br />All wells on the opposite side of the Poudre River from the site will not be affected by the <br />mining operation. The River serves as a hydraulic barrier to draw-down from de-watering <br />operations. As shown by exhibit G-1, the Whimey Ditch runs along the north edge of the <br />property. This ditch will act as a hydraulic barrier to wells to the north of the site during times <br />when the ditch is running water. <br />G-3 <br />