Powder/Tongue River Basin Water Plan
Technical Memoranda

SUBJECT:	Appendix A Irrigation Diversion Operation and Description PINEY CREEK
PREPARED BY:	HKM Engineering Inc.
DATE:	March 2002

PINEY CREEK

DUNLAP DITCH DIVERSION
LEITER NO.1 DITCH DIVERSION
MEAD & COFFEN DITCH DIVERSION
PINEY & CRUSE DITCH DIVERSION
PINEY DIVIDE AND LITTLE PINEY DITCH DIVERSIONS
PRAIRIE DOG DITCH DIVERSION
PRATT AND FERRIS NO. 1 DITCH DIVERSION
ROCK CREEK & SOUTH PINEY DITCH DIVERSION

PINEY CREEK DRAINAGE
INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

Piney Creek begins in the east face of the Big Horn Mountains, the northernmost drainage of the Powder River tributaries in Wyoming, between Little Goose and Rock Creek drainages. The South Fork of Piney Creek joins Kearney Creek, then the North Fork of Piney Creek to become Piney Creek downstream of Story, Wyoming. It picks up Little Piney Creek and Boxelder Creek before running through Ucross, Wyoming and joining Clear Creek, a tributary of the Powder River. The Powder River runs north to cross the Montana state line north of Spotted Horse, Wyoming.

High-elevation storage is provided on the South Fork of Piney Creek in Cloud Peak and Willow Park reservoirs and on Kearney Creek in Kearney Lake Reservoir. For lower-elevation storage, Piney Creek has Lake DeSmet, which has includes storage from the former Shell Creek, Piney Creek, Box Elder, High Dam, and Lower Clear Creek reservoirs.

CHARACTERISTICS

Upstream of the confluence of the South and North forks of Piney Creek, early settlers and irrigators tunneled for hundreds of feet to daylight their ditches on the north side of the ridge bordering the North Fork of Piney Creek. They cut three such tunnels, one each for the Mead & Coffeen, the Piney & Cruse, and Prairie Dog ditches, and cut crossover channels between the South and North forks through what is now Story to divert South Fork water into their ditches as well. Today, the tunnels are gone but the ditches are not. The tunnels are now deep canyons eroded into the ridge, and the three ditches divert more water than any other diversions in the Powder/Tongue or Northeast Wyoming River Basins. They also continue to head-cut, forming waterfalls, and maintenance challenges for their owners.

Because the town of Story is cut with so many crossover channels, ditches, and streams, residents tend to pump nearby channels to water yards and gardens. These losses have been ignored for some time, but water commissioners are attempting to clean up the losses by asking people to establish a storage right and exchange it with the ditch companies for use of their water.

Another crossover project allows water to run through the Piney Divide Ditch to Little Piney Creek, then through the Little Piney Crossover to Bear Creek, and through the Little Piney Divide crossover to Little Piney, which flows back to Piney Creek.

USAGE

Piney Creek’s diversions are permitted primarily for irrigation, but they also find stock, industrial, power, and domestic uses. The creek has a 5-cfs stock appropriation.

Regulation

Water commissioners estimate that regulation is imposed on Piney Creek drainage diversions with the following timing:

Wet Year	Average Year	Dry Year
End of July	Second week of July	June

Agriculture

Irrigation and planting practices are detailed in the following diversion memoranda.

The typical irrigation season runs from May 1 (depending on whether the spring runoff is delayed by colder weather) to late Sep. (depending on when the first snows fall and the ground freezes). Piney Creek users do not typically practice post-season irrigation.

Double Appropriation

Irrigation water rights with priority dates of March 1, 1945 or earlier are entitled to an additional 1cfs per 70 acres under Wyoming’s surplus water statutes. Whenever the supply in a stream exceeds to amount required to satisfy all existing appropriations established prior to March 1, 1985, the stream is said to be in an excess flow condition and water right holders with priorities between March 2, 1945 and March 1, 1985 may use an additional 1 cfs for each 70 acres irrigated.

In Piney Creek, this practice is limited primarily by the condition of ditches. Many of the ditches are not capable of carrying all of the water an irrigator could use.

% of appropriation	% of ditches in drainage capable of flow
200	10
150	10
100-150	90
0-100	90

Permitted Uses

Permits granted for water appropriation are granted for specific uses. The following pages contain tables of permits and their associated uses. The following table provides a key to those uses:

Code	Use
Chem	Chemical
Com	Commercial
Cul	Culinary
D	Domestic
Drl	Drilling
Eng	Steam Engines
Fire	Fire Protection
Fish	Fish Propogation
F.C.	Flood Control
I	Irrigation
Ind	Industrial
I.F.	Instream Flow
Mech	Mechanical
Mfg	Manufacturing
Mil	Milling
Min	Mining
Misc	Miscellaneous
Mun	Municipal
Oil	Oil Refining or Production
P.C.	Pollution Control
Power	Power Development
R.R.	Railroad
Rec	Recreational
Ref	Refining
Res. Supply	Supply Facility for a Reservoir
S	Stock
T	Transportation

WATER RIGHTS

Two water rights summary tables are provided for each diversion serving irrigation referenced here. The first, included in the body of the diversion synopsis, refers to the rights on record with the State Engineer’s Office and is derived from that office’s Tabulation of Adjudicated Surface Water Rights of the State of Wyoming, Water Division Number Two (Oct. 1999).

Because this rights summary is pulled directly from the SEO Tab, the rights cited follow the SEO’s priority order:

Hierarchy	Format of right	Example
1	Day, Month, Year	05-15-1884
2	Month and Year	05-00-1884
3	Specified Season and Year	Spring 1884
4	Year Only	1884
5	Before Year	Before 1884

Board orders or court orders may also establish a specific priority.

Irrigated Lands Water Rights Database

The second table, which follows the diversion synopsis, is taken from the irrigated lands water rights database developed for the basin plan. It can be used as a reference with the following caveats: It only lists water rights associated with the irrigated lands polygons mapped by HKM. The table does not include nonirrigation rights devoted to reservoir supply, municipal, fish propagation, etc. The rights on this table are associated only with those irrigated lands identified through the course of this study, both actively irrigated and currently idle.

Column Heading Key
PerNo	Permit Number	"Terr" denotes a territorial right.
PerSfx	Permit Suffix	D = direct flow
		E = enlargement
		R = reservoir
Facility Name		Parantheses denote the former means of conveyance for the water right.
Unit	Flow or volume	CFS = cubic feet per second
		AF = acre-feet
		GPM = gallons per minute
SupTyp	Supply Type	OS = original supply
		SS = supplement supply, for lands having an original supply from another source.
		Sec = secondary supply, for water stored in a reservoir
Status	Status of adjudication	Adj = adjudicated
		Una = unadjudicated
Source	Source water	Parantheses denote the permit number of the related storage right.

Schematic of Piney Creek drainage:

KEY DIVERSIONS

Diversion:	DUNLAP DITCH DIVERSION	Dunlap headgate
Date:	21 Sep. 2000
Diversion Description:	Headgate consists of a single, 5 x 5-foot rectangular steel gate in steel slides operated with a Waterman-type screw, mounted in a concrete headwall. The structure diverts immediately through a 3-foot diameter corrugated metal culvert.
Diversion Location:	The Dunlap Ditch diversion is located on the main stem of Piney Creek just upstream from the confluence of Piney Creek and Boxelder Creek.
	Headgate: Lat. Long. N 44° 34' 36.5'' W 106° 36' 23.0'' Flume: Lat. Long. N 44° 34' 40.1'' W 106° 36' 11.9''	Dunlap Ditchflume
Conveyance Description:	Open channel canal, approximately 3.5 mi. long..
Direct Flow Water Rights:	Permit Priority Date Permitted Use Acres Flow (cfs) Cumulative (cfs) Terr 06-00-1882 I 463.70 6.63 6.63 Terr 06-00-1882 I 150.00 2.14 8.77 Terr -1893 I 56.20 0.81 9.58 6373E 07-31-1970 I 78.20 1.11 10.69
Associated Storage Rights:	Irrigators on the Dunlap Ditch use water from Lake DeSmet
Irrigation Practices:	80% sprinkler, 20% flood
Return Flows:	Estimated percentage of total diversion developing into return flows:
	Destination Wet yr. Mid yr. Dry yr. Piney Creek 50 35 25
Losses:	Approximately 10 percent
References:	Carmine LoGuidice,water commissioner, State Engineer’s Office, Interview,  12 Oct. 2000

Irrigated Lands Water Rights Database

PerNo	PerSfx	Facility Name	Priority	Acres	Amount	Unit	SupTyp	Status	Source
Terr	D	Dunlap	June 30, 1882	613.71	8.77	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek
Terr	D	Dunlap, 2nd Appropriation	Dec 31, 1893	56.18	0.81	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek
401	E	Enl. Athorpe (Dunlap)	Jan 21, 1899	32.63	0.47	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek
6373	E	Enl. Dunlap	July 31, 1970	78.2	1.11	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek

Name Source District Data	Dunlap Ditch Diversion Piney Creek 9 Total monthly flow in AF
Water Year	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Total
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974								0.00	471.39	812.27	749.91	0.00	2033.57
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981								669.37	892.81	846.54	1015.34	499.34	3923.40
1982								406.69	1094.96	611.40	752.66	139.24	3004.95
1983								531.14	1188.23	1131.77	849.12	821.06	4521.32
1984								0.00	430.15	726.22	729.32	67.82	1953.51
1985								360.20	529.59	750.94	467.21	219.97	2327.91
1986								30.50	583.59	652.40	515.77	39.22	1821.48
1987								131.80	303.96	430.20	331.77	0.00	1197.73
1988								0.00	194.74	685.26	601.41	123.68	1605.09
1989								309.02	547.93	619.34	655.14	205.39	2336.82
1990								0.00	582.05	630.00	651.77	0.00	1863.82
1991								0.00	0.00	406.02	709.04	287.85	1402.91
1992								271.44	379.54	537.92	442.51	162.05	1793.46
1993								188.93	496.76	317.49	331.40	482.38	1816.96
1994								175.30	538.88	589.37	482.79	182.96	1969.30
1995								0.00	55.28	336.17	548.55	354.47	1294.47
1996								0.74	308.77	448.41	340.51	312.47	1410.90
1997								0.00	154.35	524.05	367.99	32.00	1078.39
1998								147.30	580.19	538.36	607.23	79.47	1952.55
1999								0.00	106.56	392.78	575.58	331.76	1406.68
Mean								161.12	471.99	599.35	586.25	217.06	2035.76
Max								669.37	1188.23	1131.77	1015.34	821.06	4521.32
Min								0.00	0.00	317.49	331.40	0.00	1078.39

Notes:
1. Monthly data is derived from spot measurements in the Hydrographers' Annual Reports for years 1980 and later, and from WRDS for years prior to 1980
2. Zero flow is assumed prior to the first and after the last measurement
3. June and July 1874 data includes interpolated data using WRDS records

Name Source District Data	DUNLAP Ditch Diversion Piney Creek 9 First & Last Dates, Max. Days
Water Year	First Date of Measurement	Last Date of Measurement	Maximum Days Missing
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974	17-Jun	31-Aug	1
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981	10-May	28-Sep	36
1982	21-May	11-Sep	18
1983	21-May	30-Sep	9
1984	01-Jun	04-Sep	13
1985	16-May	13-Sep	15
1986	29-May	05-Sep	12
1987	15-May	21-Aug	45
1988	21-Jun	08-Sep	13
1989	15-May	15-Sep	21
1990	04-Jun	31-Aug	11
1991	12-Jul	13-Sep	4
1992	15-May	18-Sep	11
1993	17-May	29-Sep	7
1994	23-May	16-Sep	7
1995	19-Jun	27-Sep	5
1996	28-May	20-Sep	20
1997	03-Jun	11-Sep	29
1998	22-May	16-Sep	22
1999	10-Jun	20-Sep	18
Avg.	29-May	13-Sep	16
Earliest	10-May	21-Aug	1
Latest	12-Jul	30-Sep	45

Notes: 1. Data is from Hydrographers' Annual Reports for years 1980 and later, and from WRDS for years prior to 1980.

KEY DIVERSIONS

Diversion:	LEITER DITCH DIVERSION AKA: Leiter at Upper Weir, Upper Leiter	Leiter Ditch Co. headgate
Date:	21 Sep. 2000
Note:	The Leiter Ditch serves to charge Lake DeSmet with Leiter Creek or Cadiz Draw water. It has essentially been replaced through Texaco’s rights to ranches it has purchased over the past few decades on lower Piney Creek above DeSmet. Texaco now charges DeSmet with the rights for Leiter Ditch as a matter of convenience through its large diversion structure, the Reynolds Lake DeSmet intake tunnel and diversion dam reservoir. The Leiter Ditch is now only used occasionally.
Diversion Description:	Headgate consists of two, 5 x 5-foot rectangular steel gates in steel slides operated with Waterman-type screws, mounted in a concrete headwall. One of the screws is bent.
Diversion Location:	The Leiter Ditch diversion is located on the main stem of Piney Creek between the confluence of the North and South forks and the confluence of Little Piney Creek and Piney Creek.	Leiter Ditch flume
	Headgate: Lat. Long. N 44° 32' 5.6'' W 106° 49' 8.9'' Flume: Lat. Long. N 44° 32' 2.4'' W 106° 49' 6.9''
Conveyance Description:	Open channel canal, approximately 3.0 mi. long.
Direct Flow Water Rights:	None
Associated Storage Rights:	Reservoir Permit Permitted Use Priority Date Volume (a-f) Leiter Res. 5956R I 09-15-1952 52.7 This reservoir is well downstram from Lake DeSmet in 33-55N-78W
Irrigation Practices:	None
Return Flows:	None
Losses:	0 to 5%
References:	Warren Gilbert, water commissioner, Interview, State Engineer’s Office, 21 Sep. 2000

Irrigated Lands Water Rights Database
     No rights in database.

Name Source District Data	Leiter Ditch Diversion Piney Creek 11 Total monthly flow in AF
Water Year	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Total
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	100.00	0.00	0.00		100.00
1981				353.00	573.00	950.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00		1876.00
1982				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	2740.00	450.00	0.00		3190.00
1983				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	3450.00	7780.00	0.00	0.00		11230.00
1984				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	2755.00	4282.00	0.00	0.00		7037.00
1985
1986				0.00	0.00	0.00	1817.00	44.00	0.00	0.00	0.00		1861.00
1987				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	2803.00	3378.00	0.00	0.00		6181.00
1988				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	4224.90	0.00	0.00	0.00		4224.90
1989				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1607.00	0.00	0.00	0.00		1607.00
1990				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	2525.39	357.03	0.00		2882.42
1991				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	42.10	2375.00	0.00	0.00		2417.10
1992				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	642.30	791.40	0.00		1433.70
1993
1994
1995				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1540.90	1953.30	0.00	0.00		3494.20
1996
1997
1998				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1037.40	357.00	0.00		1394.40
1999
Mean				25.21	40.93	67.86	129.79	1176.21	1915.24	139.67	0.00	0.00!	3494.91
Max				353.00	573.00	950.00	1817.00	4224.90	7780.00	791.40	0.00	0.00	11230.00
Min				0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	100.00

Notes:
1. Monthly data is derived from spot measurements in the Hydrographers' Annual Reports for years 1980 and later, and from WRDS for years prior to 1980
2. Zero flow is assumed prior to the first and after the last measurement

Name Source District Data	Leiter Ditch Diversion Piney Creek 11 First & Last Dates, Max. Days
Water Year	First Date of Measurement	Last Date of Measurement	Maximum Days Missing
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980	13-Jun	16-Jun	0
1981	20-Jan	01-Apr	0
1982	16-Jun	04-Jul	0
1983	17-May	21-Jun	0
1984	18-May	13-Jun	0
1985
1986	10-Apr	01-May	0
1987	29-Apr	26-Jun	0
1988	13-May	27-May	0
1989	02-May	22-May	0
1990	14-Jun	07-Jul	0
1991	31-May	10-Jun	0
1992	26-Jun	06-Jul	0
1993
1994
1995	16-May	19-Jun	0
1996
1997
1998	20-Jun	03-Jul	0
1999
Avg.	15-May	10-Jun	0
Earliest	20-Jan	01-Apr	0
Latest	26-Jun	07-Jul	0

Notes: 1. Data is from Hydrographers' Annual Reports for years 1980 and later, and from WRDS for years prior to 1980.

KEY DIVERSIONS

Diversion:	MEAD & COFFEN DITCH DIVERSION	Mead/Coffen Diversion structure (left) next to fish hatchery diversion (right)
Date:	21 Sep. 2000
Note:	Directly adjacent to the crossover diversion described below is a sink that delivers water to seeps to the north. When the head is raised too high on the crossover diversion, losses increase dramatically.
	Because Mead & Coffeen Ditch runs through a channel cut through the hills separating the North Fork of Piney Creek from Mead & Coffeen Ditch, then runs well into the Little Goose drainage, the diversion represents a transbasin diversion, from Powder River to Tongue River drainage.
Diversion Description:	For the primary diversion, the headgate consists of two, 3.5 x 4.5-foot rectangular wooden gates in a concrete headwall operated with Waterman-type screws on a section of concrete channel. The structure is mounted in a concrete channel to separate it from the North Fork of Piney Creek and is adjacent to a concrete dam. Only one of the gates is operational.     The Mead & Coffeen Ditch also has a crossover channel to move water from the South Fork of Piney Creek into the North Fork, where it can be diverted through the primary diversion above. The crossover channel has its own headgate, a single 5 x 6-foot rectangular wooden gate in steel slides operated with a Waterman-type screw, mounted in a concrete headwall. This structure is adjacent to the diversion for the fish hatchery in Story, a newer structure in excellent condition.
Diversion Location:	The Mead & Cofffeen Ditch diversion consists of two diversions, the first a crossover diversion from the South Fork of Piney Creek to the North Fork, the second a diversion from the North Fork of Piney Creek. These diversions are located in the Story community area.
	Primary Headgate: Lat. Long. N 44° 34' 47.1'' W 106° 53' 36.1'' Crossover Headgate: Lat. Long. N 44° 33' 26.7'' W 106° 56' 3.2''	Mead/Coffen primary diversion
Conveyance Description:	Open channel canal. The crossover is approvimately 2.2 miles long. The primary channel is aproximately 13.6 miles long.
Direct Flow Water Rights:	Permit Priority Date Permitted Use Acres Flow (cfs) Cumulative (cfs) Terr 05-07-1884 I 61.5 0.88 0.88 Terr 05-07-1884 D,I 318.5 4.55 5.43 Terr 05-07-1884 I 25.0 0.36 5.79 Terr 05-07-1884 I 42.5 0.6 6.39 Terr 05-07-1884 I 140.0 2 8.39 Terr 05-07-1884 I 140.0 2 10.39 Terr 05-07-1884 I 42.5 0.6 10.99 Terr 05-07-1884 I 80.0 1.14 12.13 Terr 05-07-1884 I 750.0 10.71 22.84 Terr 05-07-1884 D,I 20.0 0.28 23.12 234E 11-30-1896 I 160.0 2.28 25.4 234E 11-30-1896 I 450.0 6.42 31.82 298E 12-27-1897 I 55.0 0.78 32.6 328E 03-28-1898 I 70.0 1 33.6 3098E 12-15-1914 I 119 1.7 35.3 5358E 05-02-1942 I 567.0 8.1 43.4
Associated Storage Rights:	Irrigators on the Mead & Coffeen Ditch use water stored in Willow Park and Kearney reservoirs.
Irrigation Practices:	Irrigators tend to irrigate 30 percent alfalfa and 70 percent grass. They use a variety of irrigation practices: 50% flood, 30% sprinkler, 20% gated pipe.
Return Flows:	Estimated percentage of total diversion developing into return flows:
	Destination Wet yr. Mid yr. Dry yr. Little Goose 50 35 25
Losses:	Approximately 15 percent by the end of the ditch
References:	Warren Gilbert, county commissioner, Interview, State Engineer’s Office, 21 Sep. 2000

Irrigated Lands Water Rights Database

PerNo	PerSfx	Facility Name	Priority	Acres	Amount	Unit	SupTyp	Status	Source
Terr	D	Mead Creek or Coffeen (Piney & Cruse, Snell Pumps No. 2 and No. 3	May 17, 1884	1620	23.12	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
Terr	D	Piney & Cruse, 2nd App. (Mead Creek or Coffeen)	Dec. 31, 1891	3111	44.38	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
234	E	Enl. Mead Creek or Coffeen	Nov. 30, 1896	610	8.7	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
298	E	Enl. Mead Creek or Coffeen	Dec. 27, 1897	55	0.79	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
328	E	Enl. Mead Creek or Coffeen	March 28, 1898	70	1	CFS	OS	Una	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
891	E	Enl. Mead Creek or Coffeen	Aug. 2, 1902	100	1.42	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
3098	E	Enl. Mead Creek or Coffeen	Dec. 5, 1914	119	1.7	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
5358	E	Enl. Mead Creek or Coffeen	May 2, 1942	567	8.1	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek
5358	E	Enl. Mead Creek or Coffeen	May 2, 1942	134	0		SS	Adj	Piney Creek

Name Source District Data	Mead/Coffen Ditch Diversion North & South Pney Creeks 11 Total monthly flow in AF
Water Year	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Total
1970
1971								82.16	1353.20	1503.07	1583.21	944.93	5466.57
1972								396.69	1629.22	1592.92	1394.38	1259.70	6272.91
1973								0.00	1130.58	1613.55	1634.97	858.39	5237.49
1974								430.41	1728.59	1591.93	1711.14	982.39	6444.46
1975								0.00	1281.58	1440.71	1585.09	1363.42	5670.80
1976								104.09	1375.38	1166.97	1059.17	594.45	4300.06
1977								665.26	1312.38	990.11	1147.10	690.13	4804.98
1978								0.00	15.27	1142.60	698.70	373.09	2229.66
1979
1980								512.00	1207.00	1265.00	1776.00	1013.00	5773.00
1981								1050.00	951.00	1308.00	1197.00	286.00	4792.00
1982								0.00	510.00	910.00	1350.00	660.00	3430.00
1983								0.00	642.00	1160.00	1460.00	1130.00	4392.00
1984								0.00	319.00	1120.00	1080.00	500.00	3019.00
1985								419.00	959.00	1425.00	983.00	496.00	4282.00
1986								224.00	961.00	1199.00	1291.00	510.00	4185.00
1987								457.00	703.00	1578.00	838.00	261.00	3837.00
1988								184.20	1053.30	1278.00	706.00	523.70	3745.20
1989								281.90	1079.30	1131.30	1260.20	708.20	4460.90
1990								45.94	504.42	1038.34	1198.45	698.05	3485.20
1991								0.00	256.00	858.00	973.50	696.40	2783.90
1992								400.50	818.40	600.30	650.10	325.70	2795.00
1993								68.60	298.30	497.50	453.40	358.90	1676.70
1994								148.90	621.60	899.80	941.40	431.10	3042.80
1995								0.00	153.10	534.40	928.10	862.00	2477.60
1996								0.00	268.20	664.40	753.20	760.20	2446.00
1997								0.00	409.90	501.20	581.90	443.20	1936.20
1998								316.60	1008.00	846.30	847.30	590.10	3608.30
1999								46.60	466.70	837.30	1033.40	733.80	3117.80
Mean								208.35	821.98	1096.20	1111.28	680.49	3918.30
Max								1050.00	1728.59	1613.55	1776.00	1363.42	6444.46
Min								0.00	15.27	497.50	453.40	261.00	1676.70

Notes:
1. Monthly data is derived from spot measurements in the Hydrographers' Annual Reports for years 1980 and later, and from WRDS for years prior to 1980
2. Zero flow is assumed prior to the first and after the last measurement
3. May and June 1971 data included interpolated data using WRDS records.

Name Source District Data	Mead/Coffen Ditch Diversion Piney Creek 2 First & Last Dates, Max. Days
Water Year	First Date of Measurement	Last Date of Measurement	Maximum Days Missing
1970
1971	25-May	20-Sep	2
1972	22-May	30-Sep	0
1973	05-Jun	25-Sep	0
1974	24-May	30-Sep	0
1975	01-Jun	30-Sep	0
1976	27-May	30-Sep	0
1977	09-May	30-Sep	0
1978	29-Jun	30-Sep	0
1979
1980	06-May	22-Sep	0
1981	01-May	30-Sep	0
1982	01-Jun	30-Sep	0
1983	01-Jun	30-Sep	0
1984	01-Jun	30-Sep	0
1985	10-May	30-Sep	0
1986	19-May	30-Sep	0
1987	08-May	24-Sep	0
1988	17-May	30-Sep	0
1989	16-May	30-Sep	0
1990	26-May	30-Sep	0
1991	11-Jun	30-Sep	0
1992	11-May	30-Sep	0
1993	22-May	30-Sep	0
1994	14-May	30-Sep	0
1995	21-Jun	30-Sep	0
1996	01-Jun	30-Sep	0
1997	03-Jun	30-Sep	0
1998	17-May	30-Sep	0
1999	29-May	30-Sep	0
Avg.	24-May	28-Sep	0
Earliest	01-May	20-Sep	0
Latest	29-Jun	30-Sep	2

Notes: 1. Data is from Hydrographers' Annual Reports for years 1980 and later, and from WRDS for years prior to 1980.

KEY DIVERSIONS

Diversion:	PINEY & CRUSE DITCH DIVERSION	Piney/Cruse primary headgate
Date:	21 Sep. 2000
Note:	Because Piney & Cruse Ditch runs through a channel cut through the hills separating the North Fork of Piney Creek from Piney & Cruse Ditch, then runs well into the Little Goose drainage, the diversion represents a transbasin diversion, from Powder River to Tongue River drainage.
Diversion Description:	For the primary diversion, the headgate consists of two, 4.5 x 4.7-foot rectangular steel gates on steel slides in a concrete headwall operated with Waterman-type screws on a section of concrete channel. The gates are in good condition.	Piney/Cruse crossover headgate to N. Piney
	The Piney & Cruse Ditch also has a crossover channel to move water from the South Fork of Piney Creek into the North Fork, where it can be diverted through the primary diversion above. The crossover channel has its own headgate, a single 6.2 x 4.7-foot rectangular steel gate in steel slides operated with a Waterman-type screw, mounted in a river rock headwall. This diversion appears to be in good condition.	Piney/Cruse flume and reorder for crossover
Diversion Location:	The Piney & Cruse Ditch diversion consists of two diversions, the first a crossover diversion from the South Fork of Piney Creek to the North Fork, the second a diversion from the North Fork of Piney Creek. These diversions are located in the Story community area.
	Headgate: Lat. Long. N 44° 34' 43.0'' W 106° 53' 11.8'' Flume: Lat. Long. N 44° 34' 42.5'' W 106° 53' 10.8'' Crossover Diversion Headgate Lat. Long. N 44° 33' 32.6'' W 106° 55' 31.0'' Flume: Lat. Long. N 44° 34' 48.3'' W 106° 53' 31.7''	Piney/Cruse flume, recorder, primary diversion, North Fork of Piney Creek
Conveyance Description:	Open channel canal. The crossover ditch is approximately 2.4 miles long. The primary ditch is approximately 4.6 miles long.
Direct Flow Water Rights:	The direct-flow rights summary follows: Permit Priority Date Permitted Use Acres Flow (cfs) Cumulative (cfs) Terr. 07-20-1885 I 1 0.01 0.01 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 10 0.14 0.15 Terr. 07-20-1885 D,I,S 20 0.29 0.44 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 25 0.36 0.8 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 37 0.53 1.33 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 40 0.57 1.9 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 40 0.57 2.47 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 40 0.57 3.04 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 40 0.57 3.61 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 42 0.6 4.21 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 45 0.64 4.85 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 50 0.71 5.56 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 60 0.86 6.42 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 60 0.86 7.28 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 70 1 8.28 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 70 1 9.28 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 90 1.29 10.57 Terr. 07-20-1885 I 100 1.43 12 Terr. -1891 I 5 0.04 12.04 Terr. -1891 I 10 0.14 12.18 Terr. -1891 I 26 0.37 12.55 Terr. -1891 I 30 0.43 12.98 Terr. -1891 I 33 0.47 13.45 Terr. -1891 I 40 0.58 14.03 Terr. -1891 I 40 0.58 14.61 Terr. -1891 I 50 0.71 15.32 Terr. -1891 I 50 0.71 16.03 Terr. -1891 I 60 0.86 16.89 Terr. -1891 I 65 0.93 17.82 Terr. -1891 I 70 1 18.82 Terr. -1891 I 70 1 19.82 Terr. -1891 I 75 1.07 20.89 Terr. -1891 I 80 1.14 22.03 Terr. -1891 I 80 1.14 23.17 Terr. -1891 I 80 1.14 24.31 Terr. -1891 I 80 1.14 25.45 Terr. -1891 I 80 1.14 26.59 Terr. -1891 I 80 1.14 27.73 Terr. -1891 I 80 1.14 28.87 Terr. -1891 I 80 1.14 30.01 Terr. -1891 D,I 85 1.21 31.22 Terr. -1891 I 88 1.26 32.48 Terr. -1891 I 95 1.34 33.82 Terr. -1891 I 100 1.43 35.25 Terr. -1891 I 110 1.57 36.82 Terr. -1891 I 120 1.71 38.53 Terr -1891 I 125 1.79 40.32 Terr. -1891 I 139 1.99 42.31 Terr. -1891 I 140 2 44.31 Terr. -1891 I 155 2.21 46.52 Terr. -1891 I 160 2.29 48.81 Terr. -1891 I 220 3.14 51.95 Terr. -1891 I 310 4.43 56.38 1242 05-27-1896 I 40 0.57 56.95 235E 01-08-1897 I 20 0.28 57.23 359E 08-12-1898 I 96 1.37 58.6 1086E 12-12-1902 I 35 0.5 59.1 991E 2-16-1903 I 73 1.04 60.14 1113E 8-7-1903 I 132 1.88 62.02 1434E 6-24-1905 I 37 0.52 62.54 3927E 6-10-1918 I 80 1.14 63.68
Associated Storage Rights:	Irrigators on the Piney & Cruse Ditch use water stored in Willow Park and Kearney reservoirs.
Irrigation Practices:	Irrigators tend to plant 30 percent alfalfa and 70 percent grass. They use a variety of irrigation practices: 60% flood, 20% sprinkler, 20% gated.
Return Flows:	Estimated percentage of total diversion developing into return flows:
	Destination Wet yr. Mid yr. Dry yr. Little Goose 50 35 25
Losses:	Approximately 15 percent by the end of the ditch
References:	Warren Gilbert, water commissioner, interview, State Engineer’s Office, 21 Sep. 2000

Irrigated Lands Water Rights Database

PerNo	PerSfx	Facility Name	Priority	Acres	Amount	Unit	SupTyp	Status	Source
Terr	D	Prairie Dog Water Supply Co., 1st App. (Piney & Cruse)	Oct. 1, 1880	163	2.32	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
Terr	D	Prairie Dog Water Supply Co, 2nd App. (Piney & Cruse, Red Butte, Rose No. 1)	May 1, 1884	3170.1	45.31	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
Terr	D	Mead Creek or Coffeen (Piney & Cruse, Snell Pumps No. 2 and No. 3)	May 7, 1884	1620	23.12	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
Terr	D	Piney & Cruse, 1st App.	July 20, 1885	840	12	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
Terr	D	Prairie Dog Water Supply Co. 3rd App. (Piney & Cruse, Red Butte, Rose #1)	Aug. 3, 1885	5027.5	71.81	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
Terr	D	Piney & Cruse, 2nd App. (Mead Creek or Coffeen)	Dec. 31, 1891	3111	44.38	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
359	E	Enl. Piney & Cruse	Aug. 12, 1898	96	1.37	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
1086	E	Enl. Piney & Cruse	Dec. 12, 1902	35	0.5	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
991	E	Enl. Piney & Cruse	Feb 16, 1903	73	1.04	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
1113	E	Enl. Piney & Cruse	Aug. 7, 1903	132	1.88	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
1434	E	Enl. Piney & Cruse Creek	June 24, 1905	37	0.52	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
3927	E	Enl. Piney & Cruse/Robinson- Zullig	June 10, 1918	80	1.14	CFS	OS	Adj	Piney Creek (N. Piney & S. Piney)
21032	D	Piney & Cruse Creek	Sep. 2, 1952	599.6			Sec	Adj	South Piney Creek (973R)

Name Source District Data	Piney & Cruse Ditch Diversion North & South Piney Creek 11 Total monthly flow in AF
Water Year	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Total
1970
1971							0.00	14.96	722.24	1203.37	989.65	326.52	3256.74
1972							0.00	303.51	1783.93	1259.90	1541.55	778.47	5667.36
1973							0.00	0.00	516.50	1629.02	1543.34	255.07	3943.93
1974							0.00	133.09	1814.88	1547.30	1510.81	365.55	5371.63
1975							0.00	0.00	724.18	1130.16	1209.88	444.75	3508.97
1976							0.00	272.57	789.82	1003.30	1082.95	537.14	3685.78
1977							0.00	487.18	1156.05	728.63	786.88	748.60	3907.34
1978							0.00	0.00	62.06	757.01	691.36	568.60	2079.03
1979
1980							0.00	196.00	908.00	1429.00	889.00	517.00	3939.00
1981							0.00	778.00	742.00	1131.00	596.00	587.00	3834.00
1982							0.00	0.00	240.00	1110.00	1070.00	560.00	2980.00
1983							0.00	0.00	815.00	1640.00	1310.00	518.00	4283.00
1984							0.00	0.00	0.00	1180.00	1025.00	659.00	2864.00
1985							0.00	701.00	990.00	885.00	512.00	599.00	3687.00
1986							0.00	132.00	1437.00	1402.00	1246.00	521.00	4738.00
1987							0.00	792.00	1148.00	1180.00	1148.00	575.00	4843.00
1988							0.00	101.90	1289.50	1215.00	684.80	213.20	3504.40
1989							0.00	293.40	1007.50	1184.10	1267.80	924.80	4677.60
1990							0.00	43.66	446.07	1190.83	1202.16	803.67	3686.39
1991							0.00	0.00	394.30	1026.80	1031.20	923.50	3375.80
1992							48.40	775.80	990.30	854.30	898.80	660.10	4227.70
1993							0.00	102.90	288.40	318.30	652.80	662.50	2024.90
1994							0.00	292.20	866.20	670.00	791.20	567.90	3187.50
1995							0.00	0.00	51.40	485.50	1009.70	614.00	2160.60
1996							0.00	0.00	218.80	894.00	883.70	704.80	2701.30
1997							0.00	0.00	152.70	350.30	375.10	509.10	1387.20
1998							0.00	354.60	1006.40	822.00	925.30	785.20	3893.50
1999							0.00	0.00	384.70	564.50	761.00	590.60	2300.80
Mean							1.73	206.24	748.07	1028.26	987.00	590.00	3561.30
Max							48.40	792.00	1814.88	1640.00	1543.34	924.80	5667.36
Min							0.00	0.00	0.00	318.30	375.10	213.20	1387.20

Notes:
1. Monthly data is derived from Hydrographers' Annual Reports for years 1980 and later, and from WRDS for years prior to 1980
2. Zero flow is assumed prior to the first and after the last measurement

Name Source District Data	Piney & Cruse Ditch Diversion North & South Piney Creek 11 First & Last Dates, Max. Days
Water Year	First Date of Measurement	Last Date of Measurement	Maximum Days Missing
1970
1971	28-May	26-Sep	0
1972	19-May	30-Sep	0
1973	21-Jun	25-Sep	0
1974	27-May	12-Sep	0
1975	01-Jun	30-Sep	0
1976	04-May	30-Sep	0
1977	11-May	30-Sep	0
1978	26-Jun	30-Sep	0
1979
1980	23-May	30-Sep	0
1981	01-May	30-Sep	0
1982	01-Jun	30-Sep	0
1983	06-Jun	30-Sep	0
1984	01-Jul	30-Sep	0
1985	10-May	30-Sep	0
1986	28-May	30-Sep	0
1987	13-May	30-Sep	0
1988	20-May	30-Sep	0
1989	15-May	30-Sep	0
1990	24-May	30-Sep	0
1991	13-Jun	30-Sep	0
1992	24-Apr	30-Sep	0
1993	21-May	30-Sep	0
1994	17-May	30-Sep	0
1995	13-Jun	30-Sep	0
1996	11-Jun	30-Sep	0
1997	03-Jun	30-Sep	0
1998	15-May	30-Sep	0
1999	05-Jun	30-Sep	0
Avg.	26-May	29-Sep	0
Earliest	24-Apr	12-Sep	0
Latest	01-Jul	30-Sep	0

Notes: 1. Data is from Hydrographers' Annual Reports for years 1980 and later, and from WRDS for years prior to 1980.

KEY DIVERSIONS

Diversion:	PINEY DIVIDE AND LITTLE PINEY DITCH DIVERSIONS AKA: Little Piney Divide	Piney Divide/Little Piney headgates
Date:	21 Sep. 2000
Note:	The Piney Divide Ditch represents the first segment of a diversion that takes water from the South Fork of Piney Creek to Bear Creek. It is routed through the Piney Divide diversion to Little Piney, then through the Little Piney Divide crossover to Bear Creek, and from Bear Creek through the downstream Little Piney Divide crossover to Little Piney Creek (which runs into Piney Creek).
Diversion Description:	Headgate consists of two, 4 x 3.4-foot rectangular wood-and-steel gates in steel slides operated with Waterman-type screws, mounted in a concrete headwall.
Diversion Location:	The Piney Divide Ditch diversion is located on the South Fork of Piney Creek between the confluence of the South Fork with Kearney Creek and its confluence with the North Fork of Piney Creek.
	Headgate: Lat. Long. N 44° 33' 38.3'' W 106° 54' 46.2'' Flume: Lat. Long. N 44° 33' 38.0'' W 106° 54' 44.6'' Little Piney Creek to Bear Creek Lat. Long. N 44° 32' 33.3'' W 106° 52' 4.6'' Bear Creek to Little Piney Lat. Long. N 44° 32' 12.3'' W 106° 52' 1.9''	Piney Divide/Little Piney flume
Conveyance Description:	Open channel canal, approximately 2 mi. long.
Direct Flow Water Rights:	The direct-flow rights summary follows: Permit Priority Date Permitted Use Acres Flow (cfs) Cumulative (cfs) Terr. 05-01-1886 I 60.00 0.86 0.86 Terr. 05-01-1886 I 12.00 0.17 1.03 Terr. 05-01-1886 I 17.00 0.24 1.27 Terr. 05-01-1886 I 40.00 0.57 1.84 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 28.00 0.40 2.24 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 100.00 1.43 3.67 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 41.00 0.59 4.26 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 130.00 1.86 6.12 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 35.00 0.50 6.62 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 110.00 1.57 8.19 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 70.00 1.00 9.19 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 75.00 1.07 10.26 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 10.00 0.14 10.40 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 113.00 1.61 12.01 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 165.00 2.35 14.36 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 105.00 1.50 15.86 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 40.00 0.58 16.44 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 160.00 2.29 18.73 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 60.00 0.86 19.59 Terr. 12-31-1887 I 250.00 3.57 23.16 169E 12-05-1895 I 330.00 4.71 27.87 170E 12-05-1895 I 127.00 1.81 29.68 174E 12-23-1895 I 141.00 2.02 31.70 248E 10-06-1896 I 91.50 1.30 33.00 2616E 08-14-1911 I 102.00 1.46 34.46 3230E 07-03-1915 I 113.00 1.61 36.07 5795E 01-07-1955 I 133.00 1.90 37.97 6802E 12-20-1979 Fish 5.96 43.93
	Permit No. 3230E is drawn from Little Piney Creek and South Piney Creek. Permit No. 6802E is satisfied from Little Piney Creek; all others are satisfied from South Piney Creek. Permit No. 6802E applies Sept. 15 – Nov. 15.
Associated Storage Rights:	Irrigators on the Piney Divide Ditch use water stored in Cloud Peak and Willow Park Reservoirs. Permit Priority Date Permitted Use Acres Flow (cfs) Cumulative (cfs) 20616 10-10-1950 I,S 320 100 100 21080 08-02-1951 I 100 50 150 2616E 03-31-1952 I 320 50 200 21606 05-13-1955 I 485 50 250
	All of the permits listed in the table above denote rights for secondary supply. They are satisfied from natural flow of South Piney Creek in exchange for water stored in Lake DeSmet Reservoir and released to supply prior rights below DeSmet at a rate of 1.0 cfs for each 50 acre-feet of water stored.
Irrigation Practices:	Irrigators tend to irrigate pasture, approximately 95 percent grass, 5 percent alfalfa. They use dtich-flood irrigation only.
Return Flows:	Estimated percentage of total diversion developing into return flows:
	Destination Wet yr. Mid yr. Dry yr. Piney Creek 50 35 25
Losses:	Typical (10 percent) by the end of the ditch
References:	Warren Gilbert, water commissioner, interview, State Engineer’s Office, 21 Sep. 2000