Steamboat Pilot & Today

South Routt — Catamount has won final approval to construct a water line from the Yampa River to Walton Creek to irrigate its golf course and hay meadows. The Board of County Commis-sioners voted 2-0 on Tuesday to approve an amendment to Catamount's special use permit for its 700-acre development off U.S. 40 near Haymaker Golf Course.
Lake Catamount No. 1 Metropolitan District now has the county's permission to pump 10 cubic feet of water per second through an 18-inch pipeline over properties owned by Don Lufkin, Michael Holloran and Fran Werner.
The metro district has secured easements over those properties and has reached agreement with Lufkin and Holloran on the price of the easements. Catamount has not reached agreement with Werner on the value of an easement over her land on which Lafarge Corporation has a gravel lease.
Werner's land would be the site of an underground pump house. Werner said the pump house and a road to access it conflict with a multi-year contract she has with Lafarge. Compensation for Werner's land will be decided in a trial in January.
Catamount officials removed any reference to domestic water use from their application in response to a concern from the Routt County Planning Commission.
Catamount also agreed to enter into an agreement with the county to ensure that other landowners could only tap into the waterline for irrigation use, not domestic water use. Haymaker, for example, has an agreement with Catamount to use 1 CFS of its 10 CFS to irrigate its greens.
As approved, the waterline will be used to:
n Irrigate the Catamount Ranch golf course, landscaping and open space within Catamount Ranch;
n Add water to the golf pond for recreational, fishing, irrigation and aesthetic purposes;
n Supplement the water supply to the conservation easements within Catamount Ranch;
n Supplement the water flows to and in Walton Creek for recreational and aesthetic purposes and fisheries;
n Supplement the watershed, with incidental benefits to Haymaker, adjacent landowners and public uses of Walton Creek; and
n Provide water by exchange or directly to neighboring irrigators.
Several Walton Creek water users supported the water line, saying it will improve irrigation and livestock watering.
A Catamount owner, Nick Shoewe, said the company has no ulterior motive or hidden agenda for the water line.
"I'm proud of this project and I'll stand on our promise of doing what we said we'd do and not doing what we said we wouldn't," Shoewe said.

To reach Michelle Bales call 871-4208 or e-mail mbales@amigo.net