Laserfiche WebLink
M • ~ III I~IIIIIIIII\I III <br />l' <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />WATERODIVOISIONTTHREE OURCES R~R _~ <br />Office of the Slate Engineer DENVER OFFICE J(I( ~ V <br />Department o(Natural Resources <br />422 4th Street ~'UBLIC FILE COP 1 ~ <br />AlO ooa, Colorado 81101 FILE; /v( ~q q~O~ ~ D 01/~~ <br />O((ice: 1719)589-6687 SIT ~ ~81pr101 Re~~d <br />FAX: 1719)589-6685 ~7 ~'~Cr~ feS ~~~ ^~ Mlrter~ss ~ <br />hnpJ/water.state.co.us/de(ault.htm ~e~"'' aP/p ~,~Q*ianf/~ ~~O~r <br />°~sr <br />Ms. Wendt Maez June 29, 1999 <br />Land Use Administrator, Saguache County - _CEIV <br />P.O. Box 326 ED <br />Saguache, CO 81149 J(11, 0 6 <br />1999 <br />Dear Ms. Maez, <br />• - .. or bfirterat, & Geology <br />OF' COQ <br />a ' o <br />~O~ <br />~B]6 ~ <br />Bill Owens <br />Governor <br />Greg E. Walther <br />Ekeculive Dnector <br />Nal D. Simpson, P.E. <br />Siaie Engineer <br />Steven E. Vandiver <br />Division Engineer <br />This letter is written as a follow-up to our telephone conversation this morning <br />and the fax sent yesterday regarding David Crites' gravel pit and water use in the <br />operation. Thank you for bringing to our attention, via your fax, Saguache <br />County's concerns about this matter. The pit is located near the center of <br />Section 36, Township 41 North, Range 6 East, NMPM. Mr. Crites has obtained a <br />110 permit from the Division of Minerals and Geology (M-99-022) for grave( <br />mining at this site. <br />Part of the gravel pit operation is located adjacent to the existing recharge pit that <br />is used to recharge Mr. Crites' shares of the Rio Grande Canal pursuant to the <br />Water Court case 96CW38. Pumping from the well to supply the center pivot <br />sprinkler is dependent on credits generated from recharge. Credit is annually <br />reduced by evaporative losses from the water surface of the recharge pits at a <br />rate of 2.0 acre-feet per acre. <br />You have raised concern about the water supply to be used in the washing <br />operation. Mr. Crites intended to pump water from the recharge pit for the <br />washing of sand and gravel. My letter to David Crites dated March 4, 1999 did <br />not serve as confirmation of the legality of using water from the recharge pit in <br />the washing process. It merely suggested a method for adjusting the recharge <br />accounting in the event Mr. Crites obtained permission from the Rio Grande <br />Canal and other parties in the case. <br />As I understand it, use of water from the Rio Grande Canal is limited to irrigation <br />and recharge purposes pursuant to the company's decrees. Mr. Crites' 96CW38 <br />decree did not contain any provision to use water in a commercial or industrial <br />operation. Therefore, the Division of Water Resources would oppose use of Rio <br />Grande Canal water for his gravel operation until a legal means for such use is <br />obtained. <br />