Wyoming State Water Plan
Wyoming State Water Plan
Wyoming Water Development Office
6920 Yellowtail Rd
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: 307-777-7626
Wyoming Water Development Office
6920 Yellowtail Rd
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: 307-777-7626
SUBJECT: |
Appendix I Ben Reservoir |
PREPARED BY: | Bear River Basin Planning Team |
DATE: | July 20, 2000 |
Location: Section 33, Township 13N, Range 118W. East Branch of LaChappelle Creek, tributary to LaChappelle Creek, tributary to Willow Creek, tributary to Sulphur Creek, tributary to Bear River.
Year of construction: 1995
Enlargement History: There was a 1997 enlargement of the supply ditch. This enlargement allowed for additional allocation of East Branch LaChapelle Creek in addition to the Van Tassel Supply Ditch from the Bear River Basin. The dam structure (and associated storage volume) was not enlarged.
Ownership: Joseph Broadbent. Contact George Thatcher (801) 225-3991
Total Storage: 303.15 acre-feet
Active Storage: 300.29 acre-feet
Dead Storage: 2.86 acre-feet
Area/Capacity Data:
Ben Reservoir Capacity Table | ||
Elevation | Area (acres) |
Cumulative Capacity (acre-feet) |
---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 |
5 | .58 | 1.45 |
10 | 2.70 | 9.65 |
15 | 7.80 | 35.90 |
20 | 14.40 | 91.40 |
25 | 20.20 | 177.90 |
30 | 29.90 | 303.15 |
Dam Construction Type: Earth-fill with rock face
Outlet: 14-inch ductile iron pipe. Capacity = 5.83 CFS.
Spillway: Concrete sill wasteway on bedrock; 20-foot bottom, 34-foot top, 3.5-foot depth; located on right abutment; Capacity = 896.4 FS
Water Rights: The table below represents the three permits that have been issued for the Ben Reservoir.
Ben Reservoir Permitted Storage Rights | |||
Permit No. | Priority | Volume (acre-feet) | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
10278R | 4-7-1995 | 303.15 | |
7144E | 4-7-1995 | 0 | For Van Tassel Supply Ditch supply. |
10657R | 12-8-1997 | 0 | Enlargement of supply ditch – allocation of East Branch of LaChapelle Creek in addition to Ban Tassel supply. |
TOTALS | 303.15 |
Designated Use: Irrigation and Stock
Recreational Use: None
Associated Irrigation Diversions: Broadbent diversions
Associated Industrial Diversions: None
Operational Discussion:
The Ben reservoir is particular interest because under Permit # 7144E, water from the Green River Basin is diverted to the Ben Reservoir in the Bear River Basin (via the Van Tassel Ditch to LaChappelle Creek). Initially, this was permitted as the sole source of supply. No appropriation was granted at that time for storage water from LaChapelle Creek in the Bear River Basin, and no allocation of storage under the Bear River Compact was allowed. In 1997, an enlargement was filed (permit # 10657E) to provide water from the East Branch of LaChapelle Creek in addition to that provided by the Van Tassel Creek Diversion.The Green River Basin inflows from Van Tassel Creek, of course, are not regulated as part of the Bear River compact and must be accounted for separately.
In the 1999 Wyoming summary to the Bear River Commission we read; "The Broadbent [a.k.a Van Tassel] supply ditch which brings water from the Green River basin now has a recorder with telemetry, thus allowing the State Engineer to document imports. (with a portion of the flow bypassing the gage orifice, only 24.8 acre-feet were recorded over a period from July 31st to the end of the water year, averaging a flow of only 0.2 FS over 62 days.)"
Resources:
1) Water Right Permit filings, mapping and special limitations obtained from the Wyoming State Engineers Office.
2) Jade Henderson, 1999 Wyoming Summary for the Bear River Commission Biennial Report