OCR Text |
Show Average 297,322, including all years. Average 262,583, omitting 1884, 1885,1900, and 1909. This table shows that during thirty years-1884 to 1913-the yearly flow of the Cache la Poudre ranged from 151,636 to 666,466 acre-feet, that in sixteen of the thirty it fell below the average, and that eight of the sixteen were in immediate succession. Obviously it is not finan- cially practicable, even by means of reservoirs, to equalize the flow of a stream subject to such variation so that it will have a fairly con- stant and dependable flow at the average of all years. For further illustration we have taken the average of the twenty-six years remain- ing after excluding the four described by the witness as extraordinary (these being left to take the average of the others) and on that basis have made a computation of the excess and deficiency, which is shown in the fourth column of the table. Even on this basis there Avere thirteen years in which the flow was below the average and, of these, six came in immediate succession. In four the deficiency exceeded 100,000 acre-feet and of the four only one followed a year in which there was an excess sufficient, if carried over in storage, to cover the deficiency. This suffices to show that the average of all years is far from being a proper or safe measure of the available supply. An intending irrigator acquiring a water right based on such a measure would be almost certainly confronted with drought when his need for water was greatest. Crops cannot be grown on expectations of aver- age flows which do not come, nor on recollections of unusual flows which have passed down the stream in prior years. Only when the water is actually applied does the soil respond. Variance Variance Year Runoff in from average from average acre-feet of all of all but 4 1884............................................................. 666,466 +369,144 +403,883 1885............................................................ 465,475 +168,153 +202,892 1885............................................................. 290,392 -6,930 +27,809 1887....................................................._______ 286,840 -10,482 +24,257 1888... . ........_____...... 155,970 -141,352 -106,613 1889........................................ 185,060 -112,262 -77,523 1890............_____________........._____................. 221,023 -76,299 -41,560 1891....................................................... 257,236 -40,086 -5,347 1892............................................................. 193,790 -103,532 -68,793 1893..................................... 216,730 -80,592 -45,853 1894_____................................................ 309,444 +12,122 +46,861 1895......................................................._____ 344,500 +47,178 +81,917 1896...... ............. 162,340 -134,982 -100,243 1897........................................................ 332,070 +34,748 +69,487 1898.....____________......................................... 172,290 -125,032 -90,293 1899 . . ......... 388,591 +91,269 +126,008 1900.............. ................ 474,573 +177,251 +211,990 1901.........................___________..... 339,155 +41,833 +76,572 1902....................______.............................. 151,636 -145,686 -100,947 1903. .- _____________ 345,150 +47,828 +82,567 1904...................................................... 315,437 +18,115 +52,854 1905............................................................. 361,652 +64,330 +99,069 1906................. ................... 279,974 -17,348 +17,391 1907.............................................. 386,224 +88,902 +123,641 1908............................................................. 252,843 -44,479 -9,740 1909...................... 486,002 +188,680 +223,419 1910.............................................. 157,514 -139,808 -105,069 1911............................................................. 205,611 -91,711 -56,972 1912.................................... 297,722 +400 +35,139 1913.............____..................................... 217,959 -79,363 -44,624 676 INTERSTATE ADJUDICATIONS VARIATION IN ANNUAL NET DISCHARGE OF CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER, APRIL TO OCTOBER, BOTH INCLUSIVE, FOR 30 YEARS [Taken from Colorado's Exhibit 124] |