2012-01-06_PERMIT FILE - C1982057 ‎(24)‎

• Permit No: C1982057
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 1/6/2012
• Section_Exhibit Name: Tab 16 Protection of the Hydrologic Balance
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

saturated. There are two hay fields in the upper _portion of Sage Creek (Sections 30 and
19). (one-of - the fields. has the. potential for being flood irrigated. I.n._order to create •
the field, it was necessary to relocate the stream channel. The channelized portion of
the stream runs alongside the road and has the potential. for being used as an irrigation
ditch. The other field occurs at the base of a side tributary to Sage Creek. This field
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,,is subirrigated but not flood irrigated' The third hay field is located approximately 1.5
miles downstream (Section 18). It occurs on valley fill material and was created in much
the same way as the upstream fields. The stream was relocated along the western side of
the valley so that the field occupies the central portion of the valley bottom. The field 1
is subirrigated and is used to produce grass hay.
Just downstream from the third hay field is the site of Sage Creek Reservoir. This
reservoir was breached and drained in May, 1985. Currently, a, portion of the old)
reservoir site supports native wetlands, is subirrigated, and is used for livestock)
, I grazing3
Downstream from Sage Creek Reservoir, the stream channel is deeply incised and the only
areas that are subirrigated are confined to the stream channel itself. The upland areas .
support native dryland shrub communities. The valley maintains this pattern until the
stream leaves the mountain valley.
1 ? y
The lower portion of Sage Creek is similar to Dry Creek. The only subirrigated areas are
A,
those immediately within the stream channel. Most of the alluvial areas along Sage Creek
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are used for dryland agriculture or native rangeland. There is one segment (in Section
30, T6N, R88W) ?of the alluvial deposits that is used for production of alfalfa hay and /
,appears to be flood irrigated with water from Sage Creek.
There is very little potential for developing additional irrigation along either of the
streams. The upper portions of the streams are too narrow to develop significant
irrigated fields. It would be necessary to move the stream channel to one side of the
valley or the other, fill the existing channel, and smooth the existing valley deposits.
Also, all of the existing dryland vegetation would need to be removed. It would not be
feasible to try to develop hay fields on the existing topography because access for
equipment would be too difficult, especially in portions of the valley where the stream is
so deeply incised. The capital expenditures for developing fields in these valleys is is
probably too high to be cost effective. In the lower portions of Sage Creek and Dry,?
18