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SUMMARY OF AUGMENTATION REQUIREMENTS <br />Table 14 shows the resulting CU credits and depletions. This table illustrates that there are <br />excess CU credits in the months of April through October. If junior water rights are not in <br />priority for the months of April through October, then CU credits will be used to augment <br />depletions. Any out -of priority depletions in the months of November through March will be <br />supplied by delivery of WFCs' CC Ditch CU credits as stored in ponds for releases as necessary. <br />RELEASE OF POND WATER FOR AUGMENTATION PURPOSES <br />Ponds constructed within the mining area boundary are designed to capture and hold water from <br />a storm event, let the sediment settle out, and release the stored water at a later time when the <br />quality is satisfactory. Each sediment pond is sized according to the drainage area, and normally <br />operates at or near its minimum level. Therefore, unless the size is expanded, the ponds do not <br />have any water stored as active capacity that can be actually released for augmentation purposes <br />without pumping. <br />A reasonable alternative for replacing depletions in Tuttle Draw is to use NH Mine Ponds 1 and <br />6 to release stored water. The ponds are located outside the permit boundary and on live streams <br />where water can be physically stored. NH Mine Pond 1 is located above the Holder Ditch where <br />storage releases will satisfy the potential surface calling rights from the Holder and R &H <br />Development Ditches. NH Mine Pond 6 is located on a side tributary that comes in below both <br />ditches, so releases can only satisfy the R & H Development Ditch. <br />Currently, there is no active capacity in NH Mine Pond 1, though an outlet structure could easily <br />be installed. It is estimated that 5 to 10 acre -feet could be stored for augmentation releases. <br />NH Mine Pond 8 should be used as an augmentation release structure for evaporative depletions <br />in Calamity Draw if CU credits are not available. When Cyprus Pond No. 3 is built in Calamity <br />Draw, it could also be a source of storage for releases to Richards Waste Ditch and exchanges. <br />As to NH Mine Ponds 1, 6, and 8, WFC would have to develop active storage before the <br />structures could be used for augmentation (though pumping from such storage ponds could <br />occur). Any storage in these ponds would be accounted as storing excess CU credits from CC <br />Ditch rights. Because there has never been a call downstream of the present and future mining <br />locations and DWR has not yet determined that the Lower San Miguel River is over - <br />appropriated, it is not necessary to install such structures at this time. <br />DELIVERY OF RETURN FLOW OBLIGATIONS <br />To prevent injury to existing water rights, the instantaneous irrigation return flows from the <br />shares associated with the dried -up areas must be maintained. These amounts are quantified in <br />Table 7 for the 27 shares that irrigated 74 acres and for the 34 shares that irrigated 67.18 acres. <br />The historical irrigation return flows must be from CC Ditch deliveries and must be at or above <br />the draw location where they occurred. <br />13 <br />