2011-11-28_HYDROLOGY - M1988112 (2)

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Colorado Division of Water Resources June 23, 2011 Page 5 Augmentation Credits Depletions associated with the West Pit and alluvial pumping have historically been offset with water from the Rocky Mountain Farms well (Permit No. 8324). While this augmentation supply is still available, BMRI requests that the Salazar Ranch water rights (the subject of 07CW42) also be allowed to be used for augmenting depletions under this SWSP. Historic consumptive use was quantified for these rights in the January 2011 Lytle Water Solutions, LLC (LWS) report entitled Expert Report in Support of Battle Mountain Resources, Inc. 's Augmentation Plan in Case No. 0CW42 (Expert Report). That analysis is summarized below. The Salazar Ranch has been operated historically as a ranch for cattle operations and irrigation. This ranch has been in operation since the early 1900s and originally operated with surface water rights and surface water storage rights for flood irrigation of lands. Over the years, some of the irrigation has been converted to pivot sprinklers served by ground water wells and there are currently two pivot sprinklers on the Salazar Ranch (East and West Pivots), as well as flood - irrigated lands below Salazar Reservoir (Reservoir Parcel) (Figure 3). There is a long period of record of use for the Salazar Ranch, with evidence to indicate that approximately 1,030 ac have historically been irrigated at the ranch under various surface water rights, storage rights, and ground water rights (testimony in CA -885). A summary of the surface water rights associated with the Salazar Ranch is presented in Table 1, and include the Salazar Ditch, the AA Salazar Ditch No. 1, the AA Salazar Ditch No. 2, the Salazar Reservoir, and the Salazar Reservoir No. 2. The Water Court application in Case No. 07CW42 seeks the Court's approval of a change of water rights and to quantify historic consumptive use for a change the use of all the Salazar Ranch water rights, including valley -fill aquifer wells, the Salazar Ditch and Salazar Reservoir to include, among other uses, augmentation. This will allow water from the Salazar Ditch and/or the valley -fill aquifer wells to be used directly for augmentation and/or to be stored in Salazar Reservoir when these rights are in priority for the subsequent release of water to offset depletive effects associated with the ongoing West Pit and alluvial pumping on Rito Seco. Currently, the Salazar Ranch historically - irrigated lands receive their water supply from a number of the water rights adjudicated for the Salazar Ranch, including direct flow surface water rights (Salazar Ditch), reservoir storage rights (Salazar Reservoir), and valley fill aquifer wells (Permit Nos. 19564 -F and 21590 -F). These water rights are proposed to continue to be used for their historic uses; however, for this SWSP, BMRI seeks to use or store excess consumptive use credits from the Salazar Ranch rights for augmentation use, in conjunction with the consumptive use credits from the existing Rocky Mountain Farms well (Permit No. 8324), as necessary.