DWR_3603743

• Document Type - Guidance Documents: Guideline
• Topic: Water Administration
• Title: Division 1 - South Platte River Administrative Guideline: Reservoir Accounting Guideline
• Document Date: 11/14/2018

taken out of another storage account.
5. All native water in storage, regardless of priority, counts as storage of the water
right(s) beginning with the most senior priority and progressing to the next senior
right until all water rights have been filled. The practice of physically storing water
under junior rights or bypassing water in priority and accounting for the senior rights
as being filled is termed "paper filling" a water right. This practice prevents the senior
water right(s) from impacting the system at a later date by placing a call on the river
that historically would not have occurred when flows in the river may be reduced.
The accounting must be able to track actual and paper fill of all priorities, beginning
with the most senior right.
6. Water may be transferred from a senior storage account to a more junior account at
the discretion of the owner/operator with the following conditions:
a. An owner/operator may transfer or "book over" water at the rate that
water is legally available to the junior water right or physically available to
the reservoir, whichever is less. The rate at which a book over is allowed
will be based on the capacity of the reservoir's inlet/outlet structures or
other limitation placed by the Water Commissioner. The reservoir need
not physically release and store water unless required to do so to
demonstrate the physical limitations of the inlet/outlet structures.
b. Any transfer of water from a senior priority to a more junior priority must
be approved by the Water Commissioner or the Division Office in writing,
so that the Water Commissioner knows which priority may place a call.
c. The transfer of water between accounts must be clearly shown in the
accounting.
Evaporation
7. A reservoir owner/operator may designate the account from which evaporative
losses are deducted.
Seepage and Toe Drain Water
8. Unless specifically addressed by the terms of a decree, the Division shall consider all
seepage a loss of dominion and control of the water.
9. Toe Drain flow from on -stream reservoir dams may be counted as an "accretion to
the stream" that is used to offset evaporative losses in accordance with C.R.S. 37-
84-117 (5), provided the toe drains are measured and recorded separately from the
measured release from the reservoir.
10. Prior to accounting for and making subsequent use or reuse of seepage of
transbasin or nontributary water a reservoir owner/operator must demonstrate and
obtain Division approval verifying the owner/operator has maintained dominion and
control of such water.
11. Prior to accounting for and making subsequent use or reuse of seepage of tributary
fully consumable water a reservoir owner/operator must demonstrate and obtain
water court approval verifying the owner/operator has maintained dominion and
control of such water.
November 14, 2018 Page 3