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<br />.> <br /> <br />.' , <br /> <br />0302 <br /> <br />Final Environmental Assessment. Board of Water Works of Pueblo <br /> <br />July 2000 <br /> <br />develops. Loamy soils of sand and clay develop when underlain by alluvial deposits. Much of <br />the landform enclosing the reservoir consists of shales and limestone overlain by a thin mantle <br />of unconsolidated materials. <br /> <br />Pueblo Dam and Reservoir is located six miles west of Pueblo with access from Colorado State <br />Highway 96 (Figure 1). Pueblo had a population of 102,000 in 1996 and is a transportation and <br />trading center for more than a dozen southeastern Colorado counties. <br /> <br />PROJECT FACILITIES <br /> <br />Pueblo Reservoir is the terminal storage reservoir for the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. The <br />Fryingpan-Arkansas Project consists of diversions and tunnels conveying water from the <br />Fryingpan and Roaring Fork River basins through the continental divide to Turquoise Lake. <br />Non-project diversions and tunnels convey water from the Eagle River basin through the <br />continental divide to Turquoise Lake. Waters in Turquoise Lake are conveyed through the Mt. <br />Elbert conduit to the Mt. Elbert forebay and then on to Mt. Elbert Pumped Storage Powerplant <br />and Twin Lakes. The Fryingpan-Arkansas Project was constructed to develop the regional and <br />national economy through Irrigation of the arid lands of the West; develop power and energy <br />surplus to project needs; supply domestic, municipal, and Industrial water; provide flood control; <br />provide for the preservation, propagation, and enhancement of fish and wildlife; provide for <br />water quality control; and develop recreation facilities' (Reclamation, 1975). <br /> <br />Pueblo Dam <br />Pueblo Dam is a 10,200-foot long combination earthfi1l embankment and concrete spillway <br />structure. The massive-head concrete dam and buttress-type spillway constitute the principal <br />control structure for the reservoir. The spillway has a crest width of 550 feet and is designed to <br />discharge a maximum of 191 ,500 cfs. Routine releases to the Arkansas River are provided by <br />two four-foot square pressure gates (river outlet). Releases can also be made through three <br />separate spillway outlets that are each controlled by two six-foot square high-pressure gates. <br />Some municipal and Industrial (M&I) water delivery is made through the South Outlet Works <br />which allows water to be taken from different levels in the reservoir to control temperature and <br />quality. Water delivery through the fish hatchery outlet works has similar controls. A stilling <br />basin and outlet channel, a river channel plug, and the Bessemer Ditch headworks are Included <br />in the outlet works (Reclamation, 1998). <br /> <br />Pueblo Reservoir <br />Pueblo Reservoir is the largest reservoir In the Frylngpan-Arkansas Project. It covers over <br />4,600 surface acres at normal conservation pool and contains 60 miles of shoreline. The <br />reservoir provides water that the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District <br />(SECWCD) allocates according to its Allocation Principles. SECWCD allocates water to irrigate <br />approximately 280,000 acres located throughout the District. An average annual allocation of <br />41,000 acre-feet of M&I water is available to the Board and to the Fountain Valley Authority for <br />Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security and Stratmoor Hills water districts, and the Widefield <br />Homes Water Company as well as to other municipalities located In the District. Operation of <br /> <br />4 <br />