Major Water Transfers Between Basins

Michael Sullivan Division of Water Resources Flood Update High Velocity Flows Moving Big Rocks

Colorado’s Major Basins and Subbasins

Green Laramie North Yampa Platte

White South Platte and Republican Colorado

Gunnison

San Miguel Arkansas

Dolores Rio Grande

Mancos San Juan La Plata Conejos TRANSMOUNTAIN DIVERSIONS OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER 1 2 3 R VE 4 RI STEAMBOAT 5 7 YA 6 SPRINGS 6 MPA R 8 IV E ER T T 9 A L P 41 TO BASIN 10 SOUTH 40. DIVIDE HIGHLINE FEEDER DITCH 42 GREELEY 41. SARVIS DITCH 43 TO SOUTH PLATTE BASIN 42. STILLWATER DITCH 43. DOME DITCH 1. WILSON SUPPLY DITCH 44. REDLANDS POWER CANAL 11 2. DEADMAN DITCH 1 3. BOB CREEK DITCH 4. COLUMBINE DITCH 13 12 5. LARAMIE POUDRE TUNNEL 6. SKYLINE DITCH 14 7. CAMERON PASS DITCH 5 20 19 18 IVER 22 21 8. MICHIGAN DITCH O R GLENWOOD RAD 9. GRAND RIVER DITCH OLO SPRINGS C 15 10. ALVA B. ADAMS TUNNEL 23 11. MOFFAT WATER TUNNEL GRAND JUNCTION 39 16 12. BERTHOUD PASS DITCH 17 13. STRAIGHT CREEK TUNNEL 40 24 14. VIDLER TUNNEL 15. HAROLD D. ROBERTS TUNNEL 16. BOREAS PASS DITCH 44 17. TUNNEL

R DELTA 4 E IV 2 R TO GUNNISON RIVER BASIN 25 ON 36. RED MOUNTAIN DITCH GUNNIS 37. CARBON LAKE DITCH PUEBLO TO ARKANSAS BASIN A 38. MINERAL POINT DITCH MONTROSE RKA 18. COLUMBINE DITCH NSA 39. LEON TUNNEL S R 19. EWING DITCH IVE R 20. WURTZ DITCH

D 28 21. HOMESTAKE TUNNEL OL 29 22. CHARLES H. BOUSTEAD TUNNEL OR 23. BUSK-IVANHOE TUNNEL

E 24. TWIN LAKES TUNNEL S

R 38 25. LARKSPUR DITCH

I V 37 26. HUDSON BRANCH DITCH E 36 26 R 3 27. MEDANO PASS DITCH RI 27 O GR AN 30 DE ALAMOSA 31 32 33 7 TO RIO GRANDE BASIN DURANGO 34 28. TARBELL DITCH 29. TABOR DITCH 30. WEMINUCHE PASS DITCH 35 31. PINE RIVER-WEMINUCHE PASS DITCH 32. WILLIAMS CREEK-SQUAW PASS DITCH 33. DON LA FONT DITCHES 1 & 2 Updated June 2005 34. TREASURE PASS DITCH 35. SAN JUAN-CHAMA PROJECT 2000 Average Annual Flows (Acre‐Feet) Leaving Colorado and West Slope to East Slope Diversions 310,000 110,000 400,000 N. LARAMIE PLATTE 1,530,000 YAMPA SOUTH PLATTE 560,000 WHITE 400,000

4,500,000 COLORADO

510,000

164,000

SAN JUAN EAST SLOPE WEST SLOPE Population: 2,000 Population: 3,869,000 467,000 Irrigated Acres: Irrigated Acres: 1,780,000 320,000 2,270,000 880,000

Source: CWCB 8 Try for a TB/TM Project

• Basin of Origin: fight to protect a way of life • Basin of Use: fight to meet a pressing demand • Projects become EIS and permitting fights if there is any federal nexus • Projects are Water Rights fights – The court for appropriation is in the basin of origin – The court for a change of use is in basin of use – Newer requirement to notify in both basins (court ruling). • Notice the word Fight here? Recent TB/TM Proposals

• Big straw • Flaming gorge pipeline • Yampa pipeline • Union Park Reservoir • Moffat firming project • Windy gap firming project Silver Lining in TB/TM Waters

• Right to reuse imported water 37‐82‐106 CRS • Thornton v. Bijou (right to reuse) • Dominion and control of the reuse water – Never lose the interest in that reuse water even after a long time of non use. • Those who became dependent on reuse water? – Intensive accounting yields water you thought you’d lost. – Exchange, exchange, exchange… Silver Lining –some tarnish

• Today a lot of reuse water leased for replacement of agricultural well depletions • New Reuse projects (municipal) coming…what happens to that agricultural demand? • There isn’t enough TB/TM to fulfill all needs • Are we hitting the limits on exchange potential • When does water quality become overwhelming? Where Are We Today?

• Fierce posturing about new TB/TM diversions • Negotiations (CRCA) • Additional Agricultural Dryup on east slope still needed – Alternatives concept (fallowing) a hot item • Reuse of available TB/TM (shuffling the deck?) – Prairie waters project (poster child) – ??