WSP08501

• File Number: 8449.918
• Description: South Platte Projects
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Date: 1/1/1981
• Author: CWCB
• Title: South Platte River Basin Assessment Summary Version 2
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

Undeveloped
Streamflows

Undeveloped stream flows were esti-
mated at various points on the main-
stem South Platte River between the
Waterton and Julesburg gaging sta-
tions. These estimates were based
on available data including U.S.
Geological Survey streamflow rec-
mus, historical river call data provided
by the Colorado State Engineer's
office, and studies by the U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation. The points selected
for estimation were the U.S. Geo-
logical Survey's gaging stations at
Waterton. Denver, Henderson, Ker-
sey, Weldona, Balzac and Julesburg.

Future Anticipated
Undeveloped
Streamflows

]70- -
".
".
'""
JJO-
J20_
JlO-
lOO. -
".
260-
".
".
".
""
""
n.
n. .
". .
lQO. . g
'" .
.
170_ i !
'" ! i
150.
'" E
1J0- -
"" -
110- 5;;
"" . :!~ !
,. 1 Ii
'" i ~
". .
" " . ,
.
. ,". ~ .
~
" .. .
. ,". !
.!
~ '" I ,:..,
u ".
. . III. IV.
I. II. 11I-[
A1tern.live

Evaluation Criteria

Each of the water resources develop-
ment alternatives examined in this
study could be expected to produce a
set of changes in the natural and
social environment unique from those
which would occur were the alterna-
tive not implemented. Those pro-
spective changes are referred to as
project effects.

Evaluation criteria for descrihing
project effects in this investigation
have been established. These criteria
are of two general categories, mone-
tary and non-monetary. Monetary
criteria are those which are expressed
in dollars because the effects with
which they deal concern goods and
services which are bought and sold.
An example of such effects include
increases in the production and sale
of agricultural commodities.

Non-monetary criteria are those
which are not expressed in dollars
because the kinds of effects with
which they are concerned do not
directly involve marketed goods and
services. Non-monetary criteria are
described in the report in terms of
the net change from present condi-
tions. Water quality, for example, is
described in tenus of changes in
chemical concentrations. Fish and
wildlife would be described as loss
of habitat (in acres), or increase in
species composition or number of
species.

Three monetary criteria and two
non-monetary criteria have been se-
lected for this assessment study. The
monetary criteria are investment
cost, net economic benefit. and ben-
efit-cosl ratio. The non-monetary
criteria are water quality impacts
and fish and wildlife impacts.

Formulation of
Alternatives

Based upon existing plans for and
information about water resources
development in the South Platte River
Basin as proposed by various federal
and state agencies, municipalities,
and water user associations, a set of
generalized alternatives for water
resources development within the
South Platte River Basin was identi-
fied and analyzed.

Six general kinds or categories of
water resources projects were for-
mulated for this study. They are: (A)
new storage facilities, on-channel.
(B) new storage facilities, off-chan-
nel. (C) management changes of ex-
isting facilities. (D) expansion of
existing facilities, (E) transbasin
exports. and (F) conjunctive surface
water/ground water storage and use.

The potential for developing addi-
tional water with anyone of these 6
kinds of projects was analyzed in
each of four situations. They were
the development of upstream main-
stem flows, downstream mainstem
flows, the flows of mountain tribu-
taries,and the flows of plains tribu-
taries.

1