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<br />('~) <br /> <br />,The Colorado-Big Thompson Project adds an average of <br />240,000 acre-feet of water from the Western Slope of the <br />Continental Divide to the annual supply produced on the East- <br />ern Slope by the South Platte River and its tributaries. Thus, it <br />is a transbasin diversion from the Pacific Ocean drainage to <br />the Atlantic side of the Rocky Mountains, <br />Under a contract with the Northern Coiorado Water Conser- <br />vancy District, the Project was built by the U.S. Bureau of <br />Reclamation at a cost of $160 million, <br />Waters of the upper Colorado River are stored in Granby <br />Reservoir, accumulating largely during the snowmelt season, <br />These waters, surplus to inbasin needs, are lifted by pump to <br />flow across interconnected Shadow Mountain Reservoir and <br />Grand Lake, They reach the Eastern Slope through the 13.1 <br />mile long Alva B. Adams Tunnel. <br />A fall of 2,800 feet from the east portal of the Adams Tunnel <br />to the plains is utilized for electric energy production, Hyd- <br />roelectric generating plants at Mary's Lake, Lake Estes, Pole <br />Hill, Flatiron, and Big Thompson are connected by a series of <br />conduits and tunnels from which the imported waters are <br />finally stored in Carter Lake, Horsetooth Reservoir, and Boul- <br />der Reservoir. <br />The power plants and a network of transmission lines are <br />operated from Water and Power Resources Service head- <br />quarters at Flatiron. A small part of the power produced oper- <br />ates the pumps at Granby-pumps which lift the water for <br />diversion and ultimately to produce electricity. <br />Water reaches Horsetooth Reservoir for storage through <br />the Charles Hansen Feeder Canal named for the first District <br />president. Releases from Horsetooth pass through the Han- <br />sen Supply Canal to the Cache la Poudre River. For service <br />farther north, the North Poudre Supply Canal takes Poudre <br />River water which is repaid to the river by releases of Project <br />water from Horsetooth Reservoir. <br />Southern areas of the District are served from Carter Lake <br />by the St. Vrain, Boulder Creek, and South Platte Supply <br />Canals. <br /> <br />c,:, <br /> <br />...... <br />~ <br />en <br />QO <br /> <br />