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COLORADO COOPERATIVE COMPANY <br />PO BOX 231 <br />NUCLA, CO 81424 <br />(970) 864-7131 <br />January 19, 2010 <br />Div. of Reclamation <br />Mining and Safety <br />1313 Sherman St #215 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />RE: Colorado Cooperative Company <br />Dear Ms. Sandy Brown, <br />RECEIVED <br />JAN 2 5 2010 <br />Division or rieciamation, <br />Mining and Safety <br />The Colorado Cooperative Company was first formed in 1892 and incorporated in the State of <br />Colorado in 1896. The CCC currently holds 6 decrees on the San Miguel River for a total 145 <br />cfs. Several of these decrees are some of the oldest on the river. There are approximately 18 <br />miles of main ditch from the point of diversion to the mouth of the park where the water is <br />distributed to 178 shareholders of the company, in approximately 32 miles of distribution <br />ditches. The main water season is from April to October every year and there are week long <br />water runs in the early spring and late fall, weather permitting, for the use of the shareholders. <br />The availability of water for the system has never been a problem. As long as there is water in <br />the San Miguel River there is water in the system. There has never been a major disruption in. <br />the ditch due to the ditch itself since its completion in 1906. A few incidents have occurred <br />where portions of the main ditch have become impassable due to rock slides but these have <br />disrupted the flow of water for only a few days. There has been only one incident during the <br />drought of 2002 that the water level in the San Miguel River reached its lowest point. That year <br />there was only 25 cfs available for the entire system. The water had to be rotated among the <br />laterals for a certain amount of days so everyone could receive their share of what was available. <br />Some shareholders at the farthest point did not receive their full portion due to there not being <br />enough water to carry it to the end of the system on that lateral. <br />Every year there are improvements to the system which increases the availability and <br />productivity of the water to the shareholders on the park. The Town of Nucla is also a <br />shareholder in the Colorado Cooperative Company and the system provides the majority of the <br />water necessary for the towns of Nucla and Naturita. There is ample water for the irrigation of <br />crops for those shareholders that use the Colorado Cooperative Company system on the park in <br />Nucla, Colorado. <br />Sincerely, <br /> <br />Zene Weimer <br />President