RTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RVAT1ON SERVICE TON 25. D. C. AL BUSINESS
C*"*1
6011
Everett H. Davis Soil ConservationService Colorado Agric. Expt. Station Fort Collins, ColoradoENAL1 Y FON PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300
Memorandum Concerning the Economic Features of the
COLORDO-BIG TEO-PSON PROJE3T
by R. L. Parshall, Sr. Irrigation Engineer Burewa of Arxicultural Engineering U.S.D.A Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station
Fort Collins, Colorado Septenber 1, 1033
(Not intended for publietAion)
Prepared under the direction of W. W. LitLalOilin, Chief,
Division of Irrigation-Bureau of Agr. EnP;lneering
4
wvtrtrrY31211,3111•1. :NCISAWAMMArzax .7.-unc..rmar
Memorandum Concerning the Economia Features of the
COLORADO-BIG THO:IPSON PROJECT
by R. L. Parshall, Sr. Irrigation Engineer Bureau of Agricultural Engineering 14.S.D.A Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station
Fort Collins, Colorado September 1, 1936
Mot intended for publication)
Prepared under the 6irection of W. W. MeLauhlin, Chief,
•
1:1..emoranaum Concernin the Economic Features of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project
Bureau of Agricultural Engineering Colorado 1"ricultural Experiment Station
3eptenber 1, 1936
The -)rilar:' purpose of this --)roject is to provide a suppIementl water supply for irrigation and incidentally to furnish po' er as a necessary adjunct to the project. By a system of reser\oirs on the Colorado River, near Grand Lake, the water supply nih IDD stored and by proper regulation this supply will be aiverted from 11-rand Lake through a tunnel approximately 13 1/2 miles long, outletin in the Dig Thompson river drainage in the vicinity
-]stes Park. be oberated
A suite:7,1e hydro-electric 7,o7Ter plant
near pl:ce. A transmission li7e,
of will sozle 35 miles 10: g, will carry a 73rt of the u,nerated poer back across the Continental Divi - e to be used in Pumping from the Granby eservoir, the main storage, up to the hi':her level of the enlarged qrand Lake. At a oi.t some
_iles OoLn stream from .7-ste3 Park this sluTTiell...tal water supply, in the Biz ThoLipson River, will be diverted
throu I- two inlet canals, south to the Carter
:Reservoir which vih1 have a capacity of 110,000 acre-feet
and the otl_ north to 1-_orsetooth reservoir having a
capacity of 96,000 acre-feet. These two reservoirs are at com:ml'aini,: elevations and so loc ted that the stored water may be diverted, as required, to su)21ement the irrigation _eeds of some 615,000 acr-. in the Poudre,
-2-Big Thalpson, Little Thompson, 3t. 7,7rain and Lower South Platte valleys in northern Colorado.
The area to be served by this supplemental water supply constitutes the choice ar:ricul6ural lands of this state.
Irrigation was first practiced along the rivea: bottom lands of the various tributary streams in the South Platte drainage in the early 30's. These first ditches having the senior ri ,ts ,ere generally sr:Lail and serve5 only a limited area. The 1L,rger canals vhich serve the sreater percentage of the area Lere built
1L,ter and consequently for the 1,..ost Part have junior rights or lEte priorities. This is Particularly true in the Cache is Pou re Valley. The use of stored water in reservoirs ca :e 2.ter as a f.iCSflS of pro4riding late irriF: tier, as for alfalfE E- C csotoes. The groaing of sugar beets comiaercially an, reiril 23te . .a,ter, became one of the major crops in the early 1900's aft,-r fien: of the storage reservoirs had been built. For the 1o7.er South Platte Valley the large reservoirs there, ere built durin:L the period 1905 to 1910.
';;ithin he confines of these 615,000 acres to be
served are several cities, towns and villages. Table I gives pertinent facts as to population, valuations, obligations, school, churches, etc., intended to
present in con_el.,sed form useful data touching lOon the ph;:siccl development of his area.
IMO
This area is adequately served by to main line namely: The Union Pacific and BurlinIton-ColorL,do Southern systems. There are about 200 iles of oiled surfaced hi2,:::hlways to. elle-2 with several thousand 'Liles of graveled roads. Bus and truck service is
availle to all principl centers in this large district. Manufacturing is a large factor in this area. There are 13 large beet sugar factories, one cement and one plaster ,Lorks, oil fields in the vicinity of Wellington, Fort Collins and in the louer South Platte Valley near Orchard. Canning and condensed milk factories are
oeratef in this area. The canning factories at LongLiont, Loveland and Greeley, consume aum. C,ifferent veget:,ble cro2s. Flour mills and: elevators may be found in nearly evry teTn and village. Julosbur, Fort Morgan, Fort Collins, Loveland and Lon7:L.ont have their Own minicipal poer anL light plants. The feeding of live stock, both sheep and cattle, col, titutes one of the major business activities of this section in northern Colorado.
This Colorado-Big Thomson Project differs LiLtelilly frac., other irrigation developments in that the district to be served is highly developed from the standpoint of farms already established; the irrigation ais7ribution s:'sw]s adequate and sufficient ith some storce cLpacity available in existing reservoirs; cities, towns and villages with rood schools and churches; three of the rinciDal
imiaediately adjacent, namely, State University at Boulder,
State Collee at Fort Collins and the State College of
Education at Greeley, hillLays, railroads, tele-:.hone and -oer lines servin,__ al: cor-iliunities, fcctcries of various kinds scattered throughout t'.is area, all in coation
constiutes a highly develoed section of this state.
The (Due need ,ost outstLn.: is tlyt of a rerter
and =re depe:dable -water sul,:-P
Water SuI?lol:,- in the South Platte River Drainase. The water supply for both domestic and irriztion purposes is largely run-off from the rsountçin areas -due
to the snov, storage at the hih elevations. Irriction
supply from flood flow due to heavy sur.lner rains is a small part of the total v:ater available for use. Ttle transrlountain uivericLion thrcuh the lloffat liater tunnel
by the City of Denver ill ultimately add about 40,000
acre-feet of Lel. ater to the Platte River at Denver.
The Jones Pass develo- -mer,t will contribute about 25,000
acre-fett to this basin. The Blue River diversion project
is nm: being investigated.
Fro:, an irrigation standpoint the water problem is
couplicted because of the man:, priorities along the -ein
river and the tributaries -:There diversions are made
-5.-in natural channels or streams -5.-in various quantities and ounerships, the e::chal'ge or trade of Later beteen various co. r,anies and orEanizatins together 1Jith return floT as a pal7't of the sunply constitutes a rather co:Ilex
set-up. Howevt.=r, years of experience indicates that the administration of this su'u:ly is Elccomolished efficiently and with a narked degreG of satisfaction. The addition of 300,000 or more acre-feet uithin this c:rea
cause further complication.
Since about 1928 much attention has been
;ill not
iven to the matt,,,r of provi,inE a supplemental irrigation su -Tly by means of unipiLg prom wells. Table II shows the number
of pumps in operation durir_ 135 and becse of
continued drought this number is Low .excee ed. The amount
of water pumped for irrigtion at this time approximates a
flow of about 1,000 second-feet as a maximum. From the standpoint of a supplemental supoly puiping occdrs mostly
July and August with one run for suar beets earl in Senteber.
Soils and Crops,.
The soils found throughout this irriated area are fertile and pro'uctive. Where water is adequate for
irrigation, the crop yeild is good. These lands have been cultilp_ted, for the .ost Dart, for the past 60 years and no evidence is at hand as to any marked depletion of
-6—
fertility, however, phosphate fertilizers are applied to
so _e exte- lt principally to su,= beet lands. It is a co ,L.ion 7,ractice, however, to use barn yard manure to
1,1aintail the soils ,n6 because of the extensive livestock
• feedi_ the _anure is available as fertilizer. :he
grcx
of legumes, such as alfalfa, peas, sweet clover,
beans and peas all add nitrogen to The soil. Potash and
phosphoric acid appears L'enerally 11, sufficient amounts
to _rovide for all crops grown in- t- is region. Generally,
the soil is a fine sandy loam with a rolljnp; topography
Tral:iotes adequate drainage. It is estimated that thei-e is less than one peruent of this irrigated area that was once cultivated and now abandoned because of
seepage. So Le lands have beco_e water logged and reclaimed
by drainage which has been readily acol.iplished0 iJl
lands contain more or less alkali but not in sufficient
amounts to detract from the normal fertility of the soil.
The main crops grown throuh:u_t this region are alfalfa,
s62,ar beets, grain, potatoes, corn, beans, vegetEbtes of
various kinds, and in certain favorable localities fruit is
raised, such as: apples, cherries and berries. Proper
rotatdon of era s uoln depends largely upon water supply.
Under ditches and canals there the supply is more or less
adequate it will be found that alfalfa, sugar beets and potatoes predominates; whereas where the su-nply is limited
such crows as grai4, corn and beans will be Eron. It
-7-made avc.,I_La.01e, as a stroplemental supply, there will be a tenJency to proauce riore of th hiher valued crops such as alfalfa, sugar beets, potatoes, corn and vegetables.
Water Requirements
The following shows the average head r-.- te ,_uty for the various diversions
District
in the water ,,istricts, to Lit: .,,,..verae Head Gate Duty
Acre-Feet 1 4.99 2 4.03 3 1.73 4 2.05 5 1.06 64 2.68
The use of water over this 615,000 acres varies as to locality. It will be noted from the summary table,
accompanying this e ore-,1(,um, that the gross heaC,gate duty varies beteen rather - ide limits. IT_n districts 1 and 2 this duty :,7)pears to be quite high and is chiefly due to the nature of the soil, I_T'ich is (-mite sandy and porous. Canal and reservoir losses are moderately hiEh in these to districts. For districts 3,4 and 5 this duty is lea largely because of the -ore favorable soil
conditions in these areas. District 64 in the lover part of the South Platte Valley, has e larger percnta,;e of
heavier soil than that founc in districts 1 ana 2. This
svel sr y table shows that in District 5 a greater acreae
of grain, in percent, is raised whfch requires a lesser amount of water in ..,c,Iurin7 the crop.
The consunptive ,uty for this thole area will a,)proximate about 1.25 acre-feet per acre.
Value of ':iater Suly
The value of an irrigation water supply is dependent upon its use, this largely upon the nature of the cros
produced. Markets, soils, locality and other factors bear
u-on the question. Generally for the area to be served by this supplemeLtal water supply it may be said that these lands ithout water woald be worth not to exceed 4)15 per acre. Farms having an adequate and ,epen:te_ible water supply
will at this time be priced from 0100 to 1.50 per acre or
about „;125 per acre as an average figure. Cs this basis the water would lie worth ll0 per acre or for the entire area served a value of :6,770,000.
The -urchase ]irice of water from local reservoirs varied
in different corirlunities. In the South Platte Valley this
fi,-jure is rouz,hly $2.00 per acre-foot while for the Foudre Valley, Fort Collins anc. Greeley area, the cost per acre-foot
varies between ,)2.50 to c,18.50. uring August 1936, water
was sol in this valley for Lpproximetely :9.73 per acre-foot.
These values based on volume in storee and the buyer stands
the losses in transfer. Sales of water as here mentioned,
are nou of large proportions, rather limited,
-9-to merely indicLte the price range as Las PrevEi2ed over past years.
The valle of irriFation works, such as diversion dams, heaugates, canls, laterls, etc., Las been taken as
325.00 per acre for the area serve- and for storage reservoirs ;i117.50 and ;i=;;25.00 per acre-foot of storage.
The a=ual cost of wyter to the farrier is not a fixed amount and varies f um year to year. For mutual enterprises the annual assessment per acre depends largely upon
physical factors, such as repairs to system in cleaning operations, damage 10: floods, replacing structures and Providing for indebtedness. This cost may r!,,.np;e from a fen cents to ,;3.50 to #5.00 per acre. For the principal can:s in the Pou-re Valley the cost of an 80 acre riJit or share approximates 34,000. Interest on this investment, together with labor in argil' in the :ater, maintenance and eJLuipment of the irrigation syster or the far'. uill as a total approximate :;5.00 TDer acre per year.
-10-The Allocatin of Sup lemental water Su77,1v
tc water Districts 1,2,3,4,5, and 64.
The proper and equitable allocation of this new Later
sui -,, to the various water J,istricts within the area to
be served, is a matter of indefinite liLlitations at this
time. For the Present the basis of ,.ividion bein.c; the ratio of area of irri&
:Lan_ to be served lithin each
of the districts. The follm:in:. tabulation is based on
ti_is assumption. Dist. Acres IrrisEted Percent Area Percent Distributed in Acre-Feet District Area 1-2-64 251562 40.9 110300
Lower South Platte Valley
3 213640 34.7 93800
Poudre Valley
4 68408 11.1 30000
Big and Little Tho:,,pson 5 81806 13.3 35900 St. Vrain 615,436 100.0 270,000* *90;'; of Lin. Tunnel Diversion.
It is obv bus that to other factors should be considered
in the allocation, nariel, duty in each res ective district
-11-expected that the returi, flow accruing fror.i this added non sui;r)1: will be api)roxi-tely 30 percent of the total alount of water applied. Assumjn7 a ninirdum delivery for canal diversion of 270,000 acre-feet annually, the
ultimate return would be il,000 acre-feet available for re-use, princi-jpiiy in destricts 1,2 and 64. The better use of this supplemental supply will be had where a
balance 1i1 be maintained by such a -clication on lnds along the tributaries as will provide maxir,lu:I. use there and the full effect of return flom together with what extra supply as will be needed to proportionally provide for districts 1,2 and 64. The follovirY would approimate a r:iore equitable allot.lent -_hen co:_sidering the assumed
return flow of 81,000 acre-feet after the 5th year of
operation.
Dist. Acres
Irrigated
-1-2-
251562
6,1
Allocation Allocation average
Minimum Acre-Feet. Acre-Feet 110000 146-700 81000 (1) 103650 (1) 3 213640 94000 4 68408 5 81606 615436 34000 32000 351000 120300 43500 41000 449150
(1) Return flow estii:lated to be 30:0 of 905 rainiriuT, and average tunnel delivery to districts 1-2-64.
:later Supoly Available to the Granby Reservoir.
From the records of streen flo7- as renorted by the e. e. Geological Survey and State Engineer of Colorado, 1904 to 1936, it is determined that for this period the mean annlv7:1 floa of the ColorLtfo River, at a point just down strea,, from the dank site, is 280,000 acre-feet. It is estiillateu that threu-th an inlet cane]. - bout 6 miles in length, from Willow Creek, an L,dditional 50,000 acre-feet annually can be
Reservotr there throle.h a cre,a1
made available and from the Fraser can be diverted iLto Granby Reservoir of so:_e 18 miles in len,th a further additional 50,000 acre-feet annually.
Available 3uniDly Colorado River
Willow Creek (estimated) Fraser Reservoir (estimated)
Requirements as per
Grand River Ditch, ne,:i develoent Irrigation requirements below Qranby Reservoir
Loss i, storage estimated at
Average annual supply available for transmuuntain diversion 280,000 acre-feet 50,000 acre-feet 50,000 acre-feet 5S0,700 acre-feet 14,000 acre-feet 10,000 acre-feet 16,300 acret-feet 40 1500 acre-feet 339,700 acre-feet
-.13-Economic Features of Granb_y Reservoir
It is recommended that Granby Reservoir be jeveloned to maxi-Lu.i capacity in the original cesq,ruction.
The followinJ,; table, based on a reservoir capacity of 340,000 acre-feet, shows for the period 1906 to 1935, inclusive, that it has been possi'ele to divert not less
than 300,000 acre-feet a_iaeually for this nerioa of 30 years, that for 1907 the Laximum of 452,000 acre-feet was possible by assuming a tunnel capacity of 750 second-feet, and that
the mean annual iversion was approxi.lEtely 345,500
acre-feet. Z.s an approximation, to the operation of the Granby Reservoir there follows a summary table based on the
average yearly diversioa of 345,50 acre-feet. On this
assumption about 64 percent of the total tunnel eiversion
would be pumeed from this reservoir into Grand Lake requiring
27 percent of the total power output from the plant at
e_Istes Park.
In this corliection it is to be pointed out that careful
consideration should be given to the matter of capacity of
the raain tunnel. A discharge capacity of 550 sec° d-feet is believed to be inadequate and because of the long period of use and possible increase in eater supply it is believed essential that this tunnel be so constructed that the
maximum capacity will be not less than 750 second-feet. For
the smaller tunnel capacity the previous table appears to
carry the the water available
when operated at full capacity for 365 days. It would
a7,-ear that a more satisfactory operation could be secured and 2i- tle or
waste from
Granby Reservoir be made possible if the capacity
of this main tunnel be 750 second
-feet or more. It is believed inadvisLble to deliver i_to the BiLT; Thompson,
during the
month of June, a flow of more than 350 seco-d-feet,
because the stream at that tile
will vely likely be at flood st
The Blue River Rese voir, a compensating. storage,
vthich coLstiLutes an important
factor in the operation of the
tunnel diversion,
enters only as a rower
feature. Cril:r in
extreme low-water sunDly to the Granby Reservoir
would this compensatinc: reservoir
be required as a means of off-setting
the fin"
'Dower requiroIle ts at the :stes Park plant by supplying water in sufficient
amount to ,he Public 3ervice plant at Glenwood Springs.
Details relative to this possible equclizatien
and resultant -nro:it has not yet been developed.
Flexibility of System from an Irrigation Stand/point.
The present proposed scheme
of this project has many desirable features.
The two main sor-_,e reservoirs on the
east slope, Carter and Korsetoeth,
constitutes a calbined
capacity of 206,000 acre-fee-J. It is estimated'
that there is in addition to this Hout
75,000 to 100,000 acre-feet of
available storte in present existing reservoirs
-15-the area to be serve
th -is suvolemntcl supply. A
brief study has been riae as to water sulply on the east
and west slope of the Continental Divide and it aTTears
that heavy run-off can be expected to occur the same year
on each slope, that is, when the supply is abundant and
available to the Granby Reservoir the run-off o the east
slope is also -;ood. owever, it may so happen that the
reverse may be true whereby the Colorao River drainage
will Provide a good run-off and on the east slope the
water supply may be considerably below normal. These
conditions will at tiries not be conducive to efficient use
of stol.ge in private reservoirs. Such possibilit*es of
large ru -off on the Lest slope and meager suPplies to the
east .1,_,cessittes maximuM storae in Granby Reservoir as
well as adequate tunnel cL)pacity.
The tunnel supply concentrated in the Dig Tho_Ipson River
makes Possible the diversion to either Carter or Horsetooth
simultaneously, or individually or the water may be
transferred on down the river direct to the lower South
Platte valley.
t this time it is contemplated that the
store in Horsetoo- h Reservoir will be used all_ost
exclasively in the Poudre Valley, howev_r, it will be
possible to transfer tiis store':e also to the lower Platte.
From Carter Reservoir the sunply way be returned to the
Big Thompson to auent the tunnel water in such amounts as
to fulfill all requirements, also the stored water wayte
•
-16-Vrain in amounts sufficient to meet demands. These two commanding storage reservoirs constructed with adequate outlets, together with a constant tunnel supply make
poeeible the delivery of water on demand in any practical amount desired.
Operation of Carter and Horsetooth Reservoirs. The filling of these reservoirs will be made during
the months October to ::ay, inclusive, with a possible short
period in early June. Because of exposure it may be found
de irable to divert irto Carter up to about January 1st and
then divert into ITorsetooh during the late winter and early
sprin months with divided inflows later to top out to full
capacities. The outflow fral these two reservoirs to be
regulated on demand for Teter delivery.
ITo definite statement can be made at this time as to the
amount of loss in water in transit from Estes Park to the
diversion works of the intake c, nals. Because of the more
or less uniform supply in the river this loss may not exceed
about 3 percent. Likewise, no definite fieure can e stated
as to the storeE,e loss in these two reservoirs. The seepL7e
from these basins probably will be appreciable during the
first three to five years of service. Little or no silt will
be carried by the inflow into the reservoirs.
Because of the usual stron g winds in T:arch and April it
is the customary practice in i7orthern Colorado to not attempt
-17-filling of Carter and Horsetooth reservoirs will likewise be so regulated.
Distribution of the Su-cple_ Supzly
It is assumed that about 10 percent of the tunnel supply will be lost in transit, seepage and evaporation and the
amount for sriution will be about 270,000 acre-feet as
based on the minifiara tunnel delivery of 300,000 acre-feet. The allocation of the water supply to the variousuater districts has been assumed as follows:
Poudre Valley 94,000 acre-feet
Big Thonpson 29,000
Little Tho:pson 5,000
St. Vrain 52,000
Lower Platte 110,000 /I
The delivery of this supplemental supply for irriation needs is assumed to be as follows:
April 5 percent Lay 15 " June July 35 August 30 September 15
This new water supply will be turned into the natural streams, administered under the state water laws by the
-18.
-State 2nEineer ,and distributed to the several can ls,
ditches and reservoirs by the water calmissioners in the
various water (:isricts in which this v,ater will be used.
At this tie there uoes not appear to be any conplications
or restrictions affectinc, the transfer and delivery of this
supplemental suply. It is expected, however, that in many
instances improvements in water measuring facilities nil be
necessary, not only for canal an ditch diversions, but also
river or stream control stations will be required to more
definitely fix the ameurZ., of ..:ater passing these various
Points. adequate measurement of stream flow and diversions
promote E better cud more efficient distribution
of the water supply.
The Problem Gf transferring storage water from Carter
or Horsetooth Reservoir to Fort Lorgau or 3terlincs, in the
lower Platte valley, is not expected to offer c;ret water is now 'being moved fro::, the Union
-2,eservoir near Loni:mont to the Bijou Canal at Fort Morgan,
a distance of about 50 miles. As an economy measure in
running t is new supply in the lrel streams it should be
so arranged that the mount transfe- red would be t a more or less uniform and constant flow.
Return Flow and Other ater Resources Available in the South
Platte Basin.
Under present conditions it appears that the major
-19-lower South Platte valley, Fort Lupton to Julesburg.
Under normal years of water sup stretch of the
river provi,]es a large return. The continued drouctt, together with many wells T)umped for irrigation, has materially depleted the un:,er flow an6 it is not likely
that this return water, under present conditions,
resume norm:1 proportions. The appliction of
approxi:,Ltely 300,000 acre-feet :4nnuelly over the 315,000 acres of irric;c.ted lan'f, along the tributaries )13.d Llaiu
3outh Plate lle:, will ,,ithout question increase the
extent of the return flow. The full effec, of this accumultion probLbly will not be realized until after three to five years use of this supplementL1 suPply. This expedted yearly increa,5e in the return flow will be ge,-Ierally felt -I:: the lower valley and thus enhance in this area the water supply which will ultimately require less of the first alloction of the 111,000 acre-feet. Subsequent adjustments of the allocrtion wil3 ,a2:e possible a more concentrated a-oplic,etion of the viater
sup-oly in the tributary areas. It should be the policy to use the sup-olementEl su-pply, in so far as it is practical, on thehi her lands and resort to the accumulated return
-P 1 v; to suyioly the lower lands. ro definite sttement S
to the eli-tent of the ultimate return flow is no possible. It , ould be e:7pected tha this ccumulation in return flow willbe 30 or 40 percent cf the total annual diversion or solie 80,000 .to 100,000 acre-feet per year.
-20-Plan of Or,-anization
The plan of organization best suited to this project has not yet been devised. There are many factors involved in the development of a comprehensive plan of organization and at this tiae two general ideas of organization are beinL i_scussed; namely a conservancy district Liam cad the other a contract plan.
Much can be said in fEllor of the district plan as it is believed to 'or a more equitable scheme. It is generally held that Lhen a substantial new ater supply is furnished to this section of Colorado, the benefits will be rather wide spread. Not only Lill The farming interests be
benefited but municipalities will be aided from a busimss standoint as well as security in water supply; railroa,s, factories, truck lines, state institutions, in fact all business of 7:)'1. t ever nature zould feel the effect of
increased farm -production. The district -plan involves the idea of taxation in providing revenue and would be spread over the whole area -,hereby reaching all activities
receivin a direct benefit. This would tenj to equalize the bura,,n instead of assuming that the water user would meet the whole cost of the project. This equalization of the load Lould appear to be desirable, ho. ever, it appears at this time that the present state law covering the
•
suited in this instance. There is consiaerCole doubt as to IThetl-lel- it would be possible to secure a majority approval of all the Property owners within such a district.
The contract plan, in general, vioulc be b,_sed upon the promise that the delivery of water would be by
contract between the federal government and a responsible water users association. This association representing the several irrigation companies and other agencies using this supplemental watersupply. The nature and limitations of such agreel:J.erts between these two agencies is at this time not knon, however, it appears that such an arrEtngez.elA might be possible. Under such a set-up it is not expected
that the zoverrment wo-li desi irectly uals,
but rather with the association who in turr will contract with its member companies, municipalities, industries aad others who use the water.
The Present conception of this project is that the Bureau of Reclamation will construct the reservoirs,
tunnels, canals, Tower rIant at Estes Perk, Granby pumping plant and alD other necessary viorz:s, using federal funds. These funds reimbursable without interest over a period
of -10 years as provided by the Reclamation law. The Bureau
of Reclamation to maintain and operate the system to the
point of delivery of the water into the Big Thompson River
at Estes Park. The expense of me, intenance and operation of
this part of the project to be _et throush the sale of po- er ,:enerLted at the Estes Park plant, ;Lssuilling that a
• ,-Ji 4 -01.1GL2 oug -Gbf -T;Te2* 2sibbI2, ;o JJG 2GLGLgT COIMT CITAGL2T0172 O G gqMTUT2ZGLGq ALUTU LTAGL2' EJG qT2-PLTPIUTOU 0; ;ITG 2IfabIGUIGU4PgT 0; MG;GL O lJG LOI17L0 / gucl 1 - 7-P;IG IY 0 TFIb2 ou gug gug wyGT. reoG22gL:\ GX1)GIT2G T=JAOTAGq Tu ;ITG qG7TAGL1. HOL2G.p004;1 LG2GLAOTL2 40G42].JGL MT,Cp .ppG2G _pro LG2CLLOTL2 0; .ppG TUTG; zucs orT;Te cuuuT2 40 ug ;LOW Ogia_rGL oug t ips u22ooTo;Tou rATTT g2CITEIG ppG obGlx;Tou uucs TilUTILpG=CG LGAGUZG EIGLTAGq zlholu 42IIT2 gu-P f -TIT PG S'5003 00 MULJ , :G.p ;OL TDOZ.GL T2 :'2022 TPTO1 T; T2 G 2t -PTT 2 4Gg ;Pa: 77
7-General Comment
That the funds necessary for the construction of tI4is project be rdade available throuch the Federal GovernLent reinburseable without interest over a 40 year period.
The sale of poLer ,c;eierated at the Estes Park 21ant to provi,e revenue to operate and maintain the Granby Reservoir, Graffly Pui.ipinE Plant, Grand Lake, best Portal regulation of the tunnel, he transmountain tunnel, co:-Thit Uo no%;er house and te power
The irrigation district or water users association or so_ie o her legal organization, to assume the control and
dis',ribuion of the ater, collect the ater charges rettburse-able to the government and maintain the irrigation works on the east slope or South Platte drainage.
Assuming an annual deliver o the water users of 300,000
acre-feet at $2.50 Per acre-foot woul., net ?50,000 annually.
Estimated cost of Project at i325,000,0G0 repaic:, in years,
without interest, would require an annual installment of , 1650,000.
The creation of such a project, as proposed, would supply water for centuries. The future will find immediate use for this supply at values in ecess of 2.50 per acre-foot.
The _ore than 70 y=:ars of irrition racice in northern Colorsco has ct resulted in any deterioration of the
fertility of the soil. Draiage of lands, for the reclamation
the entire district to be served.
Climate, soils, cros, _LIkets, and population to ,=...ether v4i - ,h the full developmn'6 of cities, towns, villages, schools,
farms, factories and coaplote irrir:ation facilities comands
the assurance of full securit:- in the develoT)ment of this
sup-lelyientl irrigation water supply project in the serving
Map. Tables and Jiagranst
Map shoving the approximate area in the :0outh Ilette drninage that sill La covered by the supplemental ,ter supply diverted from the olorado River drainkces
olorsuo-Bi - Thompson Project.
:able 2,1 gives statistics relative to cities nnd tons locpted in the nren to be served by the supplemental 'later supply.
7,1ble II.- ;ummary shoat of water, rtoref,ge, crops,
valuations end other date re1.0,tiv to the area served in rater districts 1,2,3,4,5 and 64 Jouth Platte drcine,v In .1olordo.,
Table III.- Ammury tails shin, vaimr supply available for storage and diversion in Ld from r:asanby Reservoir' Table IV. - ,chedule of diversion through tranamountain tunnel for minimum, average and maxima supply. Capoleity of tunnel 750 second-feet.
Table V. - Jummery of monthly diversions, poi,er genertited, power required for pumping, and percent of totn1
diversion pumped in the operation of the Grliby :Asserveir and turnel when based on average diversion of 345,500 acre..feet annually.
-26-Table-VI-Operation of Carter ;ind Horsetk'oth re6rvoirs for average delivery through tunnel of 345,500 acre-feet.
Diagren-l-Showing totel water supply, except return flow, available in water esiatricts 1,2,,4,5, and 64, by appropriute color, end the si,ore by years in scre-fect as coiTemd
with 1926.
D1ram-2-3howing percent- -4, of diversion, acres irrt!tite>i, ne -e-feet shortnce for 1034, as cAtaprIrod ritL 1926 in wator district 1.
Diagram-3-Showing percongo or diversion, acres irriguted, nore-feet shortage for 1934, es compared rith 1926 in water district 2.
Diegramr4-3howing parcentece of divo7sion, acres irrip- tedokowo-feet shortage for 1934, as compared with 1926 in water district 3.
Diagram-5-Sho'Ari -onroante:-e of divcreion, acrw; irrip, tad, acre-f6ot ehorteee for 1934, as compared with 1926 in water district 4.
Diagram.6.8bowin percentage of diversion, acres irrigated, aort-fect shortage for 1934, as compared with 1926 in water district 5.
•
Diagr -i-ShoAut; :crcontuce of tiversicn, acres
irrigated, acre-feet shorta,;e for 1954, as compared with 1925 in water district 04*
Diegram-8-3howing rol,,tion between total rater supply, 1923 anci 1934, for watc,r districts 1,2,3,4,5, aud 64; also storage in acre-feet in 1904* It will bo rioted that for the most part the extent of diversion exceeds the slzpply* This condition ariaes becnuse of the return flow being
avcilable as a potential supply c.d not aec,Ainted for as stream flow into the district*
Diagram-9-3howin6 fin loss in sugar beot crop in 1934 as compared with 192G when a sautivAl this loas to insuffiuient water supply*
4
\.;
C • Voody rt. 5 hcrof C•••• Cr• GRANBY RES tt* HOT° 4.) •tnto tr tl) •-••7•74 X Vremmlinq °State B °Wolcott\ Gore orn 11 oetonw0 •Ao AP — YEFFER LAKE Ott eet, re leZ12, ez. Backhorn FORT COLL -rth fam q?e St. BO LDER Lear R P POSE UNNEL LA For4' ELLINGTO LAKE CHEESE N LAKE11
ct•<oo
1#4 . ,-,, • .4% 4 'A.. l'• . ASNIM4 ANO•+:21,10: ' ' -, 4.0 P•14 v0
LI LACLARKKE BLACK HOLLO RES. /oli--orado City Cast ARR ock t----1, e. \ , 0 . \ . . COLORADo-_, N SPRINGS \, l \,,...i WYOMING I NEBRASKA COLORADO ef4 STERLI •••••• °Akron , ,.7--- (-- ,---r: ._-• / ,f ,.__.-•• • N44.1 '•
Hugo \ _ _ Julesbur7q-1
Holyoke ./tr en ch 272 an for Red•
DEPARTMENT OF THE MTER;OROuREAU OF RECLAMATICA
MAP OF
SOUTH PLATTE IRRIGATED LANDS
IN COLORADO
UNDER TRANSMOUNTAIN DIVERSIONS
FROM THE COLORADO RIVER DRAINAGE
JuLY,i936
I 20
42 2 I pM-Q]fflAR Kg n* 1 Z re ?). g 0 -0 O c•it ; * „ 2 g 4 '4 ' 10k 3 ; 4 •.; re *I rt.; rt g 0 kd g
k
k
k
2 0 4 -a a' t • .4 tl1
4
I
0 a 0 8 *4 2 a 8 4 ;4
4 4111
E g o c't I ' 27\ 4 9 t-A 't I, 4. S ; (i)7A/;
Ir
SUMMARY SHEET
WATER DISTRICTS 1 -2-3-4-5 AND 64.
W.ier Di: le ici
Waier Da la
-7-0*, I :AN Area 1926 'i 934 , Deficiencydx,/,...m.Divers,..,Asorege Ayer.",fi....,te Deficiency .diffe,encs ANSinsnce Belleeen Per C.:ty,/,6i,„cy 4,,,,,Lien per,.../ /lean mi./ I isi,,, Neon 4//„,,,,,,,,, lee 6^',,,, .,,,, No. Forms Acres per FO rm 1 f,.. in Acres D/reneic,, in Acre Feet lieods,,ie I: " in Acre Feet Dii,ensIons in Acre feel Heodprie DufY in Acre Feet Betwe. StaS193419274:;f•93j Direnekw, , 1%7 A. in A.F. Direct, . fi'clerroin A rel./ Do#y in Acre Feet Be/wee", /925 & Average Acre Feet 1934 5 1 i Ye" AY' Disersione in Aff of 8.7" ;(44. /0, 8 ,a., Base 1. ' /934 .4.F. fie, Acre, 4771,.. 17;c4n -A. f."/Acre any of W j"; A i'S ,,,./".re 1 A.,,,,,,,.,..,,, .,,,,,,, 4 ;# A. F.. To/al 04411 Feet 5' Year A. r/ VP=will, Or..? Weiser No./ 3.52 .3-;,!1-7 I87,662 /35,001 4.9.9 986 94- .92,394 549,392 7.02 325729 323,663 44, 730 4.99 3,80 1,06 6.05 70/00 No.2 No.2 46,915 145c579 4.8 1 7s. 37899/65485 4.36 118,470 3,13 / 427.0.6" 4.03 12,119 34,296 28.4 1.23 1.00 , 5.03 28,806 No.3 z*-11 ,26794.Z32/3,64° 482,429 2.26 250,769 1.17 231,660 369p29 1.73 /14,5451/8,260 47.90 1.09 1.04 .2,77 94000 No.4 113,769 906 75.3 68,408 192,161 2,61 86,667 1.27 105,49474206 ,. 24360/ 2,05 51,931 53,563 550 1,54 .996 3,05 34,000 No, S 73,767 /1.462 725 113 81,806 03747/ 1.17 66,792 .82 28,679 85249 1,06 10,222 18,457 30,1 .35 1.023 2.08 32,000 N0.64 .,.,, 31::: 3'99 /010 120 121,269417,453 3.44 294,671 2'34 192, '°""'326,183 2.68 91,270 41,512 31.8 1./0 1.31 94/00 Tido ls A. re''''-g" 6.1311,1.031, 402,089 43.4 63 7796.5615,4364004191 3.25' 4/33,0521 1.84 869,093", .. 1.7 ":'''''''' 2.49 4.67,004 1.41 1,086 3,57 351,004:i Water Ohririci
Svgeir 8 eei Dote
1926 193* Difference Differ, • Difference rola/ 1..oss Los., Per
Acres Per can/o / Teial Acres 7-0,,./ Toni. Tons n't 4`" Crop Woe at /8.05 Per Ton Acres Per Cecil M hz:Acres /,/ Tons To, s ft, Acre Crop Valve aPci ;fag in Acres in Tons Per Acre in Total Tons a./ 17.09 P. Ten Acre in Dollars No./ 29,937 32.4 4.20,551 14,04 3364,406 20,189 21.8 207,967 10.30 4474,486 9748 .3.74 212,5844507,22/ 26.51 No.2 /0,214 26.9 /63,075 15.97 4304,600 8,244 21.8 74628 8.69 507,842 1 970 7.28 91,447 548,359 51,61 No.3 43,141 20.2 684652 15.80 4453,216 37032 17.3 355,75/ 9.60 2,525,810 6046 6.20 325,90/ 2,3/4436 43.96 No.4 15;3SZ 22,4 244,331 15.93 1,956,280 11,557 16.9 (/2,483 9,73 797,504 3795 5,20 132,052 936,249 43,96 No. 5 4125 /1.7 /2.5',h17 15.40 1,000,836 74.88 10.8 72,35.5 9.66 5/2, 99 7 637 57* 52,762 374,083 40.70 No.64. 29,001 26,5 394,977 13.62 .9,/39,816 23,582 21.9 218,121 9.24 1,146,479 54/ g 4.38 176,896 1,253,910 31.05 72,4ele 4. f"'Ies 135'770 2" 2,929,907 14'99 (6,239'1" , 108'092 1754- 1,038i30-1. 9.59 713 6 5 '58 27,615 540 991,602 7,030,460 36.28 VVefer District
1477.00,4ns Oa/uoi 'on of Present Irrigation System
Per Acre To/al Tole I Cana Is Water
Assessed Ac/cal As af Actual
form Improvements
and L o feral ..1
Reservoirs Rig h is Total Debis
Hod 45./5 64,39 4,174 37 3.00 4949,973,00 730,010.00 2,309,850.00 2,289,804.00 i.,981, 439.00 6,585, 093.00 636,000.00
No.2 45.70 6118 1,732,057 • ° 0 2,470,320.00 206,130,00 947,471.00 518, So 0 ." --`" 656.893.00 2,122,868.00 6, 0 0 0.00
No.3 $767 82,14 12,324 / 80.00 17,568,165.00 2,987577.00 5,3411000.00 4,194,529.00 1,566)824,0 • 11,062 353.00 577,200.00
No.4 53.22 7603 3,64.8,507.00 4200,203.00 852,966.00 47/0,200.00 2,304,100.00 802,990,00 4,61Z 290. 00 266, 900,06 No.5 58.27 83.46 4,766,783.00 6,827,142.00 875,821.00 2,04-3150.0o 52 7, 07i00 366,571.00 2,938,796,00
13, 900 .00 No.64 37.07 53'80 4,42 6,5-3 1.00 6,428,4 75.00 , 736,100.00 3,032,225.00 2,478,246. 0.0 4402,58700 6,913,016.00 10,650.00 Totals & rensges 50.40 72,00 f31,061,485; 00 44,444204.00 6,4684.24 15; 38 5,9 00. 00 12,252,254.00 6,601, 3 04,00 34,239,45 7.00 1,5/0,650.00 Water District
Acres in Crops Pvmp, ng Dalq
Sugar
Aforkei 1
Conde, ' Seed Other Supply
Copse, fir Number Al 1- alto
Beets
Grains Corn Deans Pa/aloes.4.
Cannine Crops Crops Supplerneeleli
05 /9 in Acre Peel Par Day of Pvmps Crops Acres No.1 23,398 19,396 20,528 14,652 5310 4500 /2,08/ 685 393.10 82 No.2 84SZ 8244 8640 3 97 / 479/ 2939 13,57/ 145/ 5 79, 0 /5/ No.3 47,279 37,377 64,837 /5,000 24863 /8,3/7 22,1.37 35C1 6 48.0.5 284 No.4 13662 11,357 22,654 5,608 3 7 877 2,844 1,396 480 26.10 29 iv,,,5 23919 7,488 41,57k. 300 892 788 _ 1.9 No.64 26,533 23,5/I 34,486 /7,195 4493 1,7 0 7 333 4,5 14.10 3 To/el, A rene,ee 147,283 /07,573 192,7/9 59, 7 87 42,224. 31,195 LI 9,, 6 5-4 80 70 84 , 0 43718 4/ i5 /660.73 368
11f-Summary Table 3holig1ng Water Supply Available for Storage and Diversion in and frost
Granby Reservoir. Year OP ... Colorado River at Granby Aose-feet Net Surplus (a) ... Aore-feet Available To Tunnel Aore-feet Storage in Granby ... Aer.3-feet Diversion through Tunnel NS. 41110 .4,4v PIP PIO 40 feet 1905 294.9 59.7 354.6 340.0 06 315.2 if 374,9 340.0 374.9 07 39,).3 Pt 459.0 340.0 459.0 OS 179.8 if 239.5 27.3 300,0 09 338.3 Pt 398.0 340.0 5Z7.5 1910 Pt 272.0 312.0 3C0.0 11 283.1 342.8 340.0 314.f.1 12 563.2 Pt 442.9 310.0 442.9 13 213.0 272.7 312.7 300.0 14 Pt 455.6 340.0 428,3 1915 221.2 if 180.9 320,1 300.0 16 PT 309.6 629.7 300.0 17 380.5 440.3 310.0 450.0 18 355.9 ft 423.6 340.0 4r3.6 19 171.9 Pt 231.6 27:.3 • 1920 368,2 Pt 447.V 340.0 372.5 21 391.6 451.5 340.0 451.5 22 PP 845.0 28Z.0 300.0 23 30-1,4 Pt W4.1 310.0 309.1 :34 29.9 322. 340.0 1925 209.7 269.4 302.4 26 553.1 Pt 4124 340.0 B7 23 316.9 4, ? 350.6 378,6 340.0 540.0 376.6 L9 315,2 574.9 374.9 1930 233.1 VI 212.1 332.8 5n0.0 31 165.9 If 300.0 32 243.4 If 303.1 n52.5 33 252,2 3110 274.4 300,0 54 116.4 VI 175.1 150.5 1,00.0 220.2 279,9 130.4 3-30.0 Vean 260.0 :A5.5
TflYfl10 reft reeti c -Fraser Reservoir (estimate) Requirements
Gratd River Ditoh
Irri-ntion needs bolas, ZirramstapiRes. Loss_.) in storage-Granby Peservoir
50, d acre-fict 50 000 * * tO 14,000 acre-feet 10,000 " " 16,500 SO 4,M.0.10.11rall111.1.14
-4•07.77-11--g4t 59,760• - "IV
Diversipn Through Transm[Juntain Tunnel
Capacity 750 Second-Feet Llenth Days 300,000 c.Ft. 345,000 Ac.Ft. 7low 7,ec.7t. Div,rsion Ac .Ft.
7:57777y
Flow LonthlGec .it. Divers Ac .t. 459,000 "„c.Ft
y
Flow ion Sec. Ft. 1:677hly Diver-sicin Ac .Ft. 1T. fl 31 4CC 24,550 /129 26310 626 38450 Feb. 28 tt 22190 tf 23E00 tt 54750 31 ff 24550 TV 23310 rt 38450 L.pr. 30 ft 23770 25480 it 37200 1::ay 31 71 24550 tt 23300 It 38450 June 30 350 20800 350 20800 350 20800 July 31 473 20210 350 39900 750 46100 AuG. 31 473 29210 IT 39900 17 46100 Sept. 30 tt 28300 ft 38600 11 44600 Oct. 31 400 24550 429 26310 626 38450 30 it 23770 tt 25480 tt 37200 Dec. 31 ft 24550 IT 23310 It 38450 300,000 345,r)00 45'2,000Summary of monthly diversions, puuer generated, power required for pumping, and percent of total diversion pumped in the
operation of Granby Reservoir and Tunnel.
For Average Diversion of 345,500 Acre-feet Annually
28,275 1-1-GP7 -• 15,693,000 . 6,141,000 ,
L_
Exi 28,275 1-.D • 14,174,00C K..11 • 5,579,000 . M M • • • • • 41 :-4 W in CD CD t‘- CD CD CQ CD CD O CDQ nCD k ,4 V ; M M • • Pk :I: • • • 01 W W U.) CD CD C-- CD CD CQ CD CD c C o Q O c D - H ts--1 M Pk T-74 • • 01 :14 V) CD NO CQ CD fl G CQ D C0O-) 9. 4 M • Pk 7,-1 • • 01 41 OD CD tO CD CD CD H C C O Q CCDD C Z D . i 1 M , • I Pk ;-. • • 04 44 -H CD 4, .o CD a CO CD C C.4Q1 c Ls --- 0 t-,. ,_.__, 0-. 0-. • • Pk ?Iil: • • • 01 M M 1-1 CD 0 '41 CD CD CO CD CD CQ C- O M • •M P4 ''':::: :-='' • • • 01 M 44 H CD CD .41 CD CD CO CD CD 1 41 M il G • Pk ii-Jg 1':7 • • • 01 41 M 1000 t•-• C) CD CQ CD CD [ M M I • • • • 01 1.44 41 1000 Ls-- CD CD CQ CD CD M M • • • 01 44 44 in CD CD NO CD coo O to H . . H CO .to .CO C-- . N0.. C\I . to. . H .to O o to tf) LO "44 LC) CQ CO LO .44 CO OD V) V) V) U) n tO H H H H G\I CQ CQ H H HMar. Apr. Fay June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
28 31 30 31 30 31 31 30 31 30 31 Tunnel Sec.Ft. 429 429 429 429 429 350 650 650 650 429' 429 429 Tunnel Ac.Ft. 26.31 23.80 26.31 p5.48 26-.31 20.80 39.90 39.90 38.60 26.31 25.48 26.31 N. Fork plus 1.94 1.66 1.93 6.15 3.76 71.71 31.49 10.92 5.77 4.96 3.23. :,,2 .35 Cutlet Ac.Ft. .
Pumped 24.37 22.14 24.38 19.33 Tone gone 8.41 18.98 32.83 21.35 22.25 23.96
Percent I
Pumped 93 93 493 76 0 0 21 48 85 ' 81 88 91
_
.. ^I T .
ower neoci a1 s es a A. p J Ieu.
Pcmer generated annually 205,967,000 K.U.H.
Power for pumping (head 180 ft. ) 54 935,000 K?W.H.
Table VI - 01- '.1-,..ni3rT OF CART R 27D HOR3.::TOOTT FOR A"V.;RAGE D'LIV TF1100GH TUVNEL OF 345,500 Aj E-FFRT. Deliver: to districts bosed on 90 percent or 310,900 Acre-4:eet.
Month Delivery from Tunnel Cartr diversion frof. rivr less Ltorae in Crxtr-ir 1st day of month Diversion from Carter to Little Thow.pcon & Vrain Diversion from Carter to Big lhom. & L.Platte Direct ilof; ir 3ig Thom. nIcuth of Canon Hors :tooth -Ziversion froq River Less 3i,) storage in Horsetooth First day of month Diversion from Horsetooth to 1:oudre Oct. Nov. cr. -Ft. 26,310 25,40C 26,710 Acr.-Ft. 25,520 .;;5. 570 Acr. -Ft. 21 ( I' 4^
Acr.-t. Acr.-Ft. Acr.-et. Acr.- . Acr.- t. •<-cr. t.
25,310 70,300 2b,520 keb. 23,800 70,300 23,090 23,600 Mar. 26,310 70,300 25,520 45,100 Apr, 25,480 70,300 24,700 68,790 May 26,300 12,755 71,610 2 ,190 2,960 12,755 74,855 5,395 June 20,800 10,090 53,000 6 ,570 23,800 10,090 70,510 16,185 July 33,900 19,350 62,350 19,350 79,860 Aug. 39,900 27,210 15,330 19,820 35,900 42,095 37,765 Sept. 38,600 2,210 13,140 11,060 35,900 9,725 32,370 Oct. 26,310 0 6,570 28 ,240 6,460 0 16,135 Nov. 25,480 23,690 J33. 26,310 46,610 Delivery on 90% of 345,500 or 310,950 acre-feet, z:chedule of 1)elivery: Apr.
qr.
May 15 June --July 35 Aug. 30 6ept. 15 100'/0 Allocation from reservoirs:
Dist. 1-2-64 ft 3 ft 4 It 5 Based on areas: 1-2-64 3 4
Cal). 0arter Ras. 110,000 Acre-ieet " Horsetooth " 96,000 " 127,100 r. 107,900 ft ft 32,100 ft ft 43,800 it ft 310,900 it ft Percent 351,600 ft It 40.9 213,600 ft It 34.7 63,000 iI ft 10.3 36,800 ft ft 615,000 ft rt 100.0
1,500,000 W 0 W 0 w ( a H cr o i u) I--cr o I-u) a H cr o w o H. cr o co a w 0 -cr i U) wW LL. w W la_ i I-a cc 0 0< - 1-W W —-E-S '---U) F-CC 0 i U)_w_ i-U w cc — I-W w W cc 0 if) w cr <LLI r7) co LL x 0 rei It) W u_ 0 CNI C6 U) H w U_ 0 if) CC 0 i _co_ F-w 'Li .__ if -t 0 - --LA_ W in h rq. -, to w ca -g--0 x -,-- u) w W w u_ 4 Ill --C..) a) te) Lo cv (To — ai ch o a) di 0 a) co of co co , c)) tr) co < r•-• In 01 'Co q , s , ' 0 GI 1,200,000 0 m rn rn z 0 = 0 900,000 zrn rn w o m c a rv u_ -2 0) 0 * 600,000 cr r-, o rn Cl) < DC 300,000 rn 1 z >w --1 1925 1926
I71928
1929193o 19311932 193319341935 -rnTAL WATER SUPPLY, EXcFPT RETURN, FOR WATER DISTR 1C-rc AND 6 4. 0) - om _ > w 0 (7) - > o rrl o BLUE SHOWS WATER AT FT. [UPTON RIVER STATION. 0 RED SHOWS WATER AT THE MOUTH OF BOULDER CREEK. z 0 c m-0 so PURPLE SHOWS WATER FROM ST. VRAIN CREEK. • -0 m— BROWN SHOWS SHOW9, WATER FROM BIG THOMPSON RIVER. -< YELLOW SHOW wiviEr; -I-OM CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER.
/ dim 0111 PER CENT co ...71,at• • ,• 2:it$0,f 054 8974 1351 i 440 2 8,9 2 4 1 814 19,087 1055 10 9,6 58 54486 5193 4309 444 .9e.tC4Yes, <418,as. 44 tee% 4„ 4,444 C44,44 • 4, Ct/e4 414 44).°4,9 U"';744 „ 044 4' 6 • e4Lzs. .• 004, 441 4 3 4, S 0,74 4 4, 0404444 <044 /46.4N 6'00,, 3.1: 00.44 '44 0/14
lAJ
PER CENT 444 4 49 73 AF 8599 2422 8969 >0_ 10 2 ) 00'0 m ozo 41F w° H>3> ( J,0; 0 mu) — P1 2 5 4 4 5 GIMR5-4 >0 Hpo ° r (n o >( ;2 D xm mCi) rn 4 b04, 00,0 cnon)--4 >0 0cri 0 _cp x 0 00 m ozo -h r-00 r.u ) ,x) 0 m ' I ACRES61 A14 1= 3& OPS ACRES SUGAR BEETS 1926 -22.0 111% OF ALL CROPS II 1 I 1 1 ACRES SUGAR BEETS 1934 - 17.5 % OF ALL CROPS 135,770 108,092 ' 1 ET (V792
P6ER
i I 4 49 C9 R , 1 i ACRE IN 1934 I 1 9.59 TONS PER , 1.. PER ACRE AT PER TON -1926 PER TON- 1934 $7495 $5.00 AT $5.00 , $47.95 PER ACRE GROSS HEADGATE 3.25 ACRE-FEET 1.84 ACRE-FEET DUTY PER ACRE -I926 1 DUTY , I DEFICIENCY = 1.41 ACRE -FT. $3.52 ESTIMATED COST OF 1.41 ACRE -FT SUPPLEMENTAL WATER SUPPLY AT $2.50 PER ACRE -FT PER ACRE ON SUGAR BEETS DUE TO DEFICIENCY ACRE -FT. PER ACRE IN WATER SUPPLY. 1 --"'" $27.00 LOSS OF 1.41100 80 LU 40 1.1.1 20 100 80 LU 60 40 rr LL.1 a-20 0
LET GREEN NDICATE 1926 WATER SUPPLY AS DEAL AND 100 7 FOR ALL DITCHES, THEN RED INDICATES PER CENT OF 1926 WATER SUPPLY RECEIVED IN 1934. SOUTH PLATTE RIVER IN WATER DISTRICT NO. 64
I
I , 2' qI, 0 RI dr ,,k, 2r 4.• i 4.' (If cr , "' '','‘4, ,
ct? .:',.. ,?' ,s<5`. , , 69c, <>,c,, 4D, ,, ,?',. °Y0 -'-',,, 4`,Y4' 4, 6 (7.,,'.' 0:4• ,-,'" ,,,,!: -':‘, .4.4 „. ,,,,,p ,3-,'? .,0,1° ,.„ .) 4.. .,,, cfee,.4. 6, ...z., -43- -69 4- I -Y 0LET GREEN INDICATE 1926 WATER SUPPLY AS IDEAL AND 100% FOR ALL DITCHES , THEN RED INDICATES PER CENT OF 1926 WATER SUPPLY RECEIVED IN 1934. CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER— DIST. NO.3
NOTE:— BOYD a FREEMAN AND OGILVY RECEIVE ONLY RETURN WATER.
43-e
e 14',
41.447,? 45,4
A
,4-4,04,700 4
ef
43' e 50
LET GREEN ND GATE 1926 WATER SUPPLY AS IDEAL AND 100 7 FOR ALL DITCHES, THEN RED INDICATES PER CENT OF 1926 WATER SUPPLY RECEIVED IN 1934. ST VRAIN GREEg — WATER DISTRICT NO. 5
e S e = $440 e ke, e 4! 4c:'°
e
C, 4.$ 4‘ 4.'4'.; "4c? F .--4 -, 4 F43 D I --1 ,----. -C---' , , , 0 O. ..--. •--1--• . 6--• ..--• ..-..LET GREEN INDICATE 1926 WATER SUPPLY AS IDEAL AND 100 7. FOR ALL DITCHES, THEN RED INDICATES PER CENT OF 1926 WATER SUPPLY RECEIVED IN 1934.
BIG THOMPSON RIVER— WATER DISTRICT NO 4 17
ri D
QD
c>
p° ACRE (.8 FEET11
1926 1934 1 1926 1934 1 1926 1934 1 1926 1934 I 1926 1934 I 1926 1934 nis-rpirrr 3 DISTRICT 4 I DISTRICT 5 DISTRICT 2 DISTRICT 1 . DISTRICT 64ACRE-FEET SHORTAGE 1290,589 SHORTAGE I 153,288 ACRE-FEET SHORTAGE I 36,463 ACRE-FEET ACRE-FEET SHORTAGE 1 48,453 1 487,711 AME-FEET SHORTAGE ACRE -FEE11SHORTAGE 167,605 118,519 ACRES ALL CROPS 29,226 ACREAGE SUGAR BEETS 1926- 24.6 % OF ALL CROPS 23,836 ACREAGE SUGAR BEETS 1934- 20.1 c70 OF ALL CROPS 13.64 TONS PER ACRE IN 1926 9.26 TONS1PER ACRE IN 1934 i $68.20 PER ACRE AT $5.00 PER TON -1926 $46.30 PER ACRE AT $5.00 PER TON -1934 8"A6RE7.01 GROSS HEADGATE DUTY 4.21 ACRE -FT. PER ACRE- 1926 GROSS HEADGATE DUTY 2.43 ACRE -FT. PER ACRE -I934 I $4.45 ESTIMATED COST OF 1.78 ACRE -FT. SUPPLEMENTAL WATER SUPPLY AT $2.50 PER ACRE -FT. $21.90 LOSS PER ACRE ON SUGAR BEETS DUE TO DEFICIENCY OF 1.70 ACRE -FT. PFP. ACRE IN WATER SUPPLY
Duplicate pages
not
scanned
See originals in folder
Water Resources Archive
F OBE; OPD
The climate, soil, topography and water supplies of the South Platte basin in Uolorndo, generally, are well ndapted to irrigatior, And from the first efforts at irri--tln on Clear Creek, development has been rapid. For fifty years, due to increased acreage, a change in crops FInd some changes in methods, the need for water has been beyond the supply, even though supplemented by extensive storage, the use of seepage or return waters, nnd Ath 3ome diversior from other rivers.
The sub—normal watr supplies, due to drouth, in reeent years intensified this search for supplemental aUpplies. In this sevrch the water users turned to uldergrQund sources an pqaping and to diversion from
other river basins, particularly the basin of the Colorado., In this search they recognized the need of more iccurate information on present practice,of the distribution of avail— able irrigntion water of the area under irrigation, the crops grown under the several canal systems and of land values and soil development, and a number of studies were undertaken, ecyclp; them an economic P.A. research project in cooperation vAth the U. S. Bureau of .:eclamation, the Irrigation
Investigations, Bureau of F!,ricultural ri:7ineering and the jtation of Colorao :tate
3omecr the findings of this rid. other studies, supplemented by original investigations by We Ho
are embodied in this report prepared by Mr. Sawhill under the auspices of the 1;V:iUof Colorado
Plnninp 7:oamission. It will aid r;retitl in the further development of irrigation in this region.
Dr. Charles ,. Lary, President Colorado Ante College.
M7MORANDUM
on the
CONOMIC NEED FOR AND JUSTIFICATION OF
the
COLORADO - BIG THOVP30/1 rROJT,CT by
H. 3awhill
An OUT,3?NDING FACT becovies quickly apparent to 6 disinterested observer making a study of the areas affected b, thi.; proposed project; nailely, the HIGH STAT OF OEV
I0P-MT in every respect L.-;-Y ,CHL'Ar D; yet, the NEED for a 7ABILIZED IRRIGATION 3UPPLY to 11;STIE the FUTURE MAINTEVANOE of the PRESENT DEVELOPWIN•
The Project.
Provision of a supplemental irrigation supply is the primary purpose of the project. incidentally the creation of electric power is a necessary adjunct. It is proposed to dil;ert annually, from the upper basin of the ,;olorndo 'Aver by means of a l3i.doaile tunnel, ripproximItaly 300,000 acre-feet of water for supplemental use by an existing and solvent
Irrigated area. Description of the necessary storae reervoirs, an analysis of the Flvnilable water, the regulation end
reletd features of,this project are given in -r. ParshEll's part of this memorandum.
AREAS' INVOLV7D OA,
ett A rrf
Ji Location Hii±y
'24
Pruw.ok frnitkr?vvia.6.
A. The area able to wake direct use of the supplementary irrigation supply to be provided by this proposed project, is located (etween longitude 1020 lo' to 1050 15' test and Latitude 400 to 41° r-:orth within the co%fines of * oulder, Larimer,
old, Horgan, Loa, 3edgwick and 'Aishington counties in northeastern Colored°, and comprises .Eiter Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 64 as setup by the Colorado state YIngineer's office. It is situated in the louer iouth netts Valley
below the intake of the Buckers-vans Ditch in the vicinity of - latteville, extending east to the rebraska-Colorado state line, in the Cache le roudre, the _Az and Little
Thompson and the $t. Vrain drainage areas, all tributary to the _;outh Platte. The remainder of the Jouth Platte Basin's irrigated area extends above the possibility of direct ,Ise, but will A..so be indirectly benefited through the ox,Amne of priority water supplies.
The area producing, the present source, of irrirAtion supply is the •.outh Platte and tributary streams, mtrecing approximtely 6,000 squli.rc miles ind located .east of the
ontinentcl ivide immediate-1 1“)st an southwest of the irri!..lited areas. The entire area of the Jouth rlette drainewe ineluding both supply source and use areas in
I
Colorado iv ,pproximately 2v,ak)0 square miles. In addition -2 to this source, about 35,000 to 40,000 acre-feet oflforeign water h), E5 been brought across the divide into the Poudre drainage. The proposed supplement ry source area lies inuediately west af th resent source but across the Continental ivide, It embraces approximately 500 square miles of drainage area at t e headwtters of the riolorade , Ivor.
Note: Information relative to the directly affected areas as presented in this memorandum, was copiled on the basis of the different water districts as administered by the Colorado tate Engineer's office. The follow-ing key iWicates these districts, their respective water sources and location by principal towns and cities.
No. 1 - Platte River Drainage, serving primarily the Fort Moran and Brush areas,
No, 2 - Ilatte !Aver Drainage, serving primarily the Platteville, Ker;ley tlid part of the "reeley area.
No. 3 - cache la Poudre Draingwe l serving primarily Fort Collins, incisor, Ault, Eaton and main part of Creeley areas. No. 4 - Thompson Drainage, serving pri)%erily the Loveland,
Berthoud and Johnston areas.
No. 5 - jt. Vrain Drainae, serving primarily the Lyons and Longmont areas.
No. 64 - Lower Platte iAver Drainace, serving pri arily the Sterling and JulesLurg areas.
hater Districts by Number.
o.
1
014r0:V.I'"43 f11
„t", The history of irrigated farminv in the „outh Ilatte RRsin indicates tit first attempts were mAc on botY Clear Creek anJ on the Poudre at about the same time (1859-1800). Decree J1 on the Poudre is dated June 1, 1860 for a ditch.
near the village of Bellvue. These early attempts were all made by individuals or by a sm611 group, lieited as to
resources and as to ability to construct canals capable of diverting water to oter then the primary, valley floor lends. Aile a member of large priorities date prior to 1870, the total acreage irrigated before that date probably did not exceed 1000 acres and elle utilized principally for producing native hay, grain andvegetables for sale to the mining camps 1-Ald to freighting outfits.' The completion of the Denver Pacific Eailroad froe eheyenne to Denver in 1870, and the establishment of the Union Colony near Greeley
were both of greatest importence to the south Platte Basin. '7apital became available and through organized community
effort by the Union colony, the first large canal (Greeley No. 2), serving extensive bench lends, vas sterted in
the fall of 1870, and water was carried the following spring. Meny mistakes were made and diffieulties encountered, and the final cost as 06011Pti exceesto however, ultimate success was achieved. As n result, ineividual effort immediately rave
way to community and corporate endeavor, and by 1882 most of the ?ergo canals and many of the smaller ones in this zmememet project area had. been built. LAnce that time most of the development has consisted of the construction of ditches to convey water from other dreinaee areas, the extension of existing canals as well as the construction of reservoir systems, several of which were built prior t 1882. The introduction during the early 1900's of sugar beets, potatoes, etc., into the areas' fareing system, and all
of these crops demanding the use of late water,
e
necessitated reservoir prowslirs*aa wherever feasible - most of vhieh was completed by 1U0.
Both the extensive tind intensive development of successful farming in this area has parried with it n correspondin developent in irrigation practice and
in
the customs and laws relating to irrigation< This leader-tkra-4 ship has ben recognized by otherKommurities, arms
and
states hyving similar phypical conditions, and mnny have adapted their procedure tol„this area as a pattern in irrigation practice, law and tadministration.
n extent and 17-mortanes, this project area comprises about 6400 farms and 615,400 or more acrs of highly developed irrig.cted lands. It embraces about 80.4 percent of all irrigated fErma and 85 percent of alltAkIto
irrigated lands conprfiring-ttrer-ttrtal- irrigated t\!trea
atiwriamerct-torreel-coum44-eliiv In relation to the entire state, it approximates
20.38 percent of all irrigted farms. 18.12 percent of total irrigated acreage.
33.00 percent of tot;l investments in irrigated enterprises.
16.60 percent of total assessed valuation, including Denver.
_earnest one-fourth of the total population of Colorado
(
the-iiikty- ofH)eztior t ,whieh htTe-alielett-2..4-peraesiti-ef-tita lttsr_
101.044,-4011a reside within the area to be soma. (All figures checked with 1930 cen.us)
Natural :.;onditions of ;,m-,
-11-Jevatiork,(Topography, Climate, -oils, )2"flinage, etc.) L. The elevation of the irrigated frming areas,
rF,nges froca 3460 feet at the Vebraska-uoYorado line to 5350 feet at the western border nevr the mountf:ins/en* approxintely 200 miles between extreme points. About 22 percent of the farmed area lies at an altitude below 4500 feet, while not to exceed 2 percent of the total area is above 5000 feet in elevation. In the originatin:ter supply areas for both the present and proposed project, the elevation ranges from 7000 feet to in excess of 14,000
feet, with. about 50 percent of the area 9000 feet and above.
k
reiro
c0,01
The
.I.skaaltax,_on
the whole of the irrigated andfrmed areas is 6entl7 rolling in cht:.recter, ran4ng from a high percentage of tilAost level ureas to gently
unduletin but smooth slopes, seldom exceedin 5 percent in general gradient. These chtJ:moteristics are extremely desirable from an irrigation viewpoint. Valley floor, bench nnil tlrrace lands and a part of tlie reat Plc ins reion constitute the irrigated ares of this project. 7he present and proposed water supp1i5 originate in a portion of the rocky rountains which is typicelly
In
mountainous topogrphy, and while large areas are heavily
-Co
timbered, yet a considerOple portion ie but aeahtily forested.
The ;1.1,mete of any irea plays an important part in crop an livestoc production, in. IrrieFition supply,j and !A.so influences general 11v1n.;7 conditions. Yeteorological data which are max applicable to thia &roe are more complete than in most oactions of the mountain country.
p-14t.1%_. AA...6174A 1)-11
(All data from 143, 'eather Bureau and Colorado Agricultural Amerimgant L;tation records.)
stisAA
.
,:lote: The following data are a composite of records from stations applicable to this irrigated nree. The number of years records hrilve been kept range from 55 years ct Fort
Jollins to 5:\at reetz. 1x stt,tions hnve records for 30 years or more land the remainder average 14 years or over.
mot'
--„ N, Average Precipitation Feet and Inche s. (ains)A.
Ft. 111.
•••••••••••••••011*.M.01 r:o. Ft. In. Mo. . In. do. -Ft. In.
Jan45.03:3 0%40 Apr. 4191 2.29 July 0.168 2.02 Oct. ,.091 1.09 Feb. .047 .56 ..ay .228 2.74 u. .145 1.74 l''av. .040 e.48 .075 .00 June .1,4 1.85 ,:apt. .102 1.2 Dec. .046 0.55
The %oat* annuza precipitation of all records is ...i.19 feet.
(),› 0214-ekg4t...
The waskirror the period I'Lpril 1 - :lopt. 30 is .967 ft.
CiiiiP
Folloving is the-eere 04-ulluxe for eight mountain stvtions. Lorr:s Pertk 3tetion hfAs records for 36 yetrs and the remainderavere over 14 yefirs.
'1401i1j4L ilrelaf7e Precipitation in Feet and InebtIns(Mountaina) Moo Ft,. In. mo. rt. In. Mo. F.t. In. Mo. Ft. In.
Jan. ier.094 1.13 ',pr. X.253 3.04 July .Z30 2.76 Oct. .136 1.63 Feb. .124 1.49 "ay .218 2.32 .,ug. .170 2.04 07. .0780.94
1!nr. .159 2.0Z June .134, 1.85 'ept. .154 1.05 jee* .112 1.34 .0111.1.
The !4.4.4441.ar.nuA1 precipitatio of all records i3
611.A.141A.0.42.4_,
The MAU ror the period =11 2 - :apt. 30 iD ....• t••• **OS
1.882 ft. 1.182 ft, Averaee DrecipitNtion for the year 1934 Ilit;a 64 percent
the
140.°w norialal -vercgo &roll rinnunl etation n,cords.
ArS) otAL-kol4 /1,0111:.° L,h"Jw,
Ik4v.
4-nAbA
Annual 3nowfal1
vo-ta
1(v):1%
fta3
44.140
V
M-kuk e,),) rtttrotie pxv.).40.AA
nainsStations Recordre. of Inches Mountn nJtations Yrs. of ';;ecord
Boulder 34 66.9
Lon-lont 25 42.8 Longs Peek
33
Fort Lupton 20 44.4 Estes Park
21
rort Collins 37 t2.3 Frances 13
Greeley 23 32.7 Fry's Ranch
20
Fort lAorgan 30 24.9 Jt. Cloud 9
Sterling 21 32.3 liver Lake
16 5edgwiok 18 31.4 Julesburg 20 31.4 411111•10.... ANNITAI 38.8 ---!4itlyt,c37...;
Noraal Merii,TeNperatures Astions
Month ;egrees Month 3er:rec5 1,onth
;2e) ,.releS Month
Jcn. 2.0 Apr. 46.5 July 71.2 Oct.
'olay 56.6 _ug. 89.7 Lov.
rar. 36.0 June 65,5 dept. 31.1 Deo.
Al!L-I,GE of Axtreme Illecorded
Jtations Laxifaum 104.9 Temperatures for 9 I.rincipai
Nagar Normal Normal Inches 146.0 115.8 201.3 89.5 72.5 P81.3 151.6 :.'egreeS 49.1 33.4 26.4
The follovAn data ari.! for both plains rid mountain stations - average of all records.
AvAA0,A14` (Plains tations
.iJ71AL ,!1±e*.en-
Tempereture---(Viountain
7
Qa.A.01,°
Mem - June, July, ,ugust PtuJkAptk
Normal fftea - Dec., Jan., Feb.,
Plains Lountain Plains Mounts in :ource: U. 3. it ••••••••••••10...•••• 47.9 ! 40.0 69.35 56.6027.6 \ 24.70
.enther Burenu ('.11-tatic •'unmary of U.,. 23,
Al) (lets prior to 1930.
_
Average Growing Season in Irrigated itrea
Number of stations'renorting - 13
No. Years record (ilvertige for all stc!,ions in excess of 17 years.
LAST Killin SprinF Yrost:
FIE1T Killing Fall Frost
-Length of CroA.ng Jeason
- - verge Liay 9
Latest Jate ...June 5
(Alrerage T Sept. 28
Oftrliest date Sept. 7
(Averar:,e
Omcn.
-
- (Longest (ohortest .. 142 days 165 .. 118 • • 7T(1: ' These are not for any particular year.
-- The vnriation in 1(q16th of growing season as evidenced,
is not due to elevation as much as to exposure and to the
difference in prevailing air currents. The longest grobAng
season is recorded at the statiorPnearest to the mountriins.
U.S. ,eather Station Location Length of Record in Yrs. Boulder 26 Longmont 16 Fort Collins 28 Greeley 26 Fort Morgan 25 Sterling 13 Sedgwick 13 Julesburg 8 "ar-s-u-h,tia-t Average Len%-th of Elevation growing in Feet. •3enson in Days 5 134 142 149 145 144 143 139 o,‘'.; 7 4,950 4,985 4,649 4,319 3,932 3,539
