LHDC System Overview
Last update: 1/23/2025
Reservoirs: 5
Lake Isabelle 550 AF
Left Hand Park 1,500 AF
Gold Lake 454 AF
Allen’s 704 AF
LHV 1,624 AF
Plus CBT from Carter Lake
Total when full 4,831 AF
Terms & General Information:
CFS = Cubic feet per second (Measures moving water)
AF = Acre Feet (Measures standing water)
1 CFS = 1.983 AF (or 2:1 for conversation purposes)
LHDC has 16,800 Shares of Stock
LHDC Yield is determined on November 1st. based on what actually came down the mountain.
LHDC is only responsible to put the water into the ditch. Once the water passes the Parshall Flume we lose ALL responsibility and authority. You must talk with your ditch rider or the other irrigators for any problems.
Free, Charge & Direct Run Water:
We have three sources of water in which to fill your order and they are as follows:
“Free Water”: The criterion for receiving free water is as follows:
(1) There must be more water in the creek than is required by the orders.
(2) The reservoirs must be full. (This is a bit subjective).
“Charge Water”: We automatically go on charge water when the criterion for free water is not met.
“Direct Run”: Direct run is a source of water that will be used when there is a “Call on the river”, indicating we cannot store water, yet we have it in the creek and we can use it as long as we don’t store it.
Re-allocation of inactive shares
If you do NOT begin using your water before August 1st then the board reserves the right to reallocate 80% of your water (not your shares) to active shareholders.
This means that 80% of your water will be taken out of your account and divided out between the active users.
The board assumes if you have NOT used any water prior to Aug 1st then you won’t be using it this season and therefore it is re-allocated to the active users.
The rule of thumb is to keep the water as high as possible for as long as possible.
Therefore, depending on where your farm is determines where your water will come from.
Example: The Williamson ditch is the last ditch heading East, at 63st. They are also the lowest elevation ditch. Therefore, they can receive water from all five reservoirs. All of our water is above them.
Remember, this is a gravity fed system and water only flows downhill.
The Haldi Ditch and the Lake ditch are at the top of the system and therefore, they can only receive water from the upper system. They are above Allen’s Lake and LHV so they can’t get water from the lower system.
The Toll Gates, Crocker, Crocker 2, Table Mt, Bader, Cro-John are below Allen’s Lake but above LHV. They can receive water from the upper system and Allen’s Lake but not LHV.
The Golf Course, Hinman (New & Old), Star (New & Old), Bush, Holland and Williamson ditch are all below LHV so they can receive water from both the Upper and Lower system.
We are only responsible to put water into the ditch’s main headgate, after that it’s up to you and/or your ditch rider to deliver the water to your headgate. We lose all authority and responsibility once the water passes through the Parshall flume.
I am not authorized to come down your ditch to your property to assist you with a problem.
During drought conditions I am required to tighten up the water, which means you have to pay for the shrink. Normally we pay it for you, but not when we are short of water.
Example: If you order 2 CFS and your headgate is several miles from my headgate, you will lose most of your water due to shrink. Evaporation, seepage, someone upstream left a headgate open or it leaks will account for your loss. You must walk up the ditch and check out where the problem is. I cannot replenish your account.
That’s why the front page of the website will tell you not to run alone. If you have a large order than go ahead, but if you order small amounts, I may not fill the order if I don’t think you will get it.
If you order small amounts you need to run with other people that are down stream of you so you all can split the shrink.