System: Ranchview Estates Water District.

********************NEW  Important documents NEW ********************

LINK TO: RCWD Solar PER DRAFT 05.09.2025
https://tt-files.tetratech.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/RCWD-Solar-PER-with-Appendices.pdf
 

April 2025 Water Usage Report
Water Quality Report - RVE CCR 2024
Solar Power Project 2024 D1
                                                

Date:  6/10/2025

Water usage:

The total flow through the domestic side of the system for the month of May was 490,652 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 15,827 gallons. This is a slight increase from April by only 2,000 gallons per day and when looking back at previous years it is slightly less than average which is good to see. For the irrigation side of the system the total flow was 4,047,950 total gallons for an average daily flow rate of 130,579 gallons. This is again a substantial increase in usage from last month by 3,476,322 total gallons.

Please be responsible with your irrigation water.  We are way over with usage of previous years!    HELP Keep our water system healthy.

Projects:

On May 30^th I performed a draw down test on the east irrigation well and found no drop in water level even with the pump running. After further investigation I found that well pump was only drawing 7 amps which indicated that the motor was not being put under any working load. We were able to pull the pump on the 31^st and found that the splines that connect the motor to the pump were completely gone which indicates that the well is running dry. We were able to install a new pump but due to the outdated VFD’s that operate the pumps we were unable to adjust the wells to run as required to put less stress on the East irrigation well. We were able to get two new VFD’s and install one of them on June 8^th. I am still waiting for the electrician to install the second VFD because the program will need to be adjusted to have the wells run independent from each other. This is now the second time that the east well has run dry and now is only able to produce 85 gallons per minute as apposed to 300+ gallons per minute when originally drilled in 2003.

Mapping Shutoff Valves

The Board of Directors of the Ranchview County Water District recently contracted with our water manager, Duncan Quigley, to conduct a mapping project of the shutoff valves for each property in the subdivision.  Each household has two shutoff valves – one for domestic water and the other for irrigation water.  The subdivision’s developer did not leave a map for these valves.  Some of the valves are visible above ground and others, we have discovered, are buried a foot or more underground.  The mapping project is a proactive effort by the Board to make sure we know where every shutoff valve is located so that we can shutoff water in the event of an emergency.  So, if you see Duncan in your yard trying to locate your shutoff valves, the Board wants everyone to know what’s going on.  If you have questions, please call Bob Bennett ((406) 422-9247) or Jim Oppedahl ((406) 431-6623) to discuss any concerns.  

Projects: via Duncan (well management) 09/16/2024

I have been locating the curb stops and main valves around the subdivision and have gotten the North side of Lariat and along winter wheat. I have switched the maps to a google file that seems to be easier to map and can give everyone access without having to keep track of a folder of maps.

Projects:
The lead and copper inventory report was reluctantly completed and submitted to DEQ.

Water usage: History

Date:  5/12/2025

Water usage:

The total water usage for the month of April on the domestic side of the system was 404,534 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 13,484 gallons.
For the irrigation side of the system the total flow for the month was 571,628 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 19,054 gallons.

Date:  4/12/2025  

The total water usage for the month of March on the domestic side of the system was 426,026 for an average daily flow rate of 13,742 gallons. 
The total flow for the irrigation side of the system was 14,590 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 470 gallons. 

Date:  3/15/2025 
The total was usage for the month of February on the domestic side of the system was 386,493 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 13,803 gallons.
The flow for the irrigation side of the system is also very consistent with last month of 724 total gallons with an average daily flow rate of 25 gallons per day.

Date: 1/8/2025
The total water flow for the domestic half of the system through the water building for the month of December was 442,109 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 14,261 gallons. 
The total flow for the irrigation side of the system for the month was 31,363 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 1,011 gallons.

Date: 12/14/2024
The total domestic flow for the month of November was 409,104 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 13,636 gallons. 
The total flow through the irrigation half of the system for November was 97,229 gallons for an average flow rate of 3,240 gallons.

 Date: 11/18/2024
The total domestic water usage for the month of October was 407,536 total gallons for an average daily flow rate of 13,146. 
The total flow through the irrigation system for the October was 1,076,989 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 34,741. 

Date: 10/17/2024
The total domestic water usage for the month of September was 466,742 gallons for an average flow rate of 15,558 gallons.
The total flow through the irrigation system for the Month was 5,281,714 gallons for an average daily flow of 176,057 gallons. 

Date: 9/16/2024
The total domestic water usage for the month of August was 521,419 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 16,819 gallons.
The total flow of the irrigation system for the month of August was 6,439,245 gallons for an average daily flow rate of 207,717 gallons.

Date: 7/15/2024
The total domestic water usage for the month of June was 529,724 gallons for an average daily flow of 17,657 gallons. 
The total flow for the irrigation side of the system was 6,253,137 gallons for an average daily flow of 208,437 gallons. 

Date: 6/16/2024
The total domestic water usage for the month of May was 432,555 gallons for an average daily flow of 13,953 gallons. 
The total usage for the irrigation system is 3,877,354 gallons for an average daily flow of 125,075 gallons.

                                                                                *******WATER RIGHTS ISSUES*******

I have been in contact with Jim about some additional water rights that he was able to dig up. We have been going off of one water right (41I 88721-00) that allows for 25 Acre Ft of use for domestic and 85 Acre Ft for irrigation use. This was causing us to go right up to our allotment but the other right Jim was able to find (41I 89787-00) which allows for 83.75 Acre Ft for irrigation use only. I have never been able to find this right because it is assigned to two different names. But after looking into the paperwork Jim sent it was a concern that each right went to each set of wells. The way it reads is the 130 Acre Ft goes to the domestic wells and the 83.75 Acre Ft goes to the irrigation wells, however later on in the paragraph it says they can be used together. I did call DNRC to see how they would interpret how they were split up and was told since they are going to the same allotment they can be used together. Which is good news about bumping up against the water rights.