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<br />Friday, July 31,1992 Vol.92 No. 150
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<br />@ 1992 vampa Valley News Papers, Inc.
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<br />River District to pursue. Elkhead
<br />DEMAND GROWTH BY SECTOR
<br />Consumption
<br />
<br />By CHUCK HOOK
<br />Staff writer
<br />CRAIG - Expanding Elkhead
<br />reservoir needs to be done, the
<br />board of the Colorado River Water
<br />Conservation District was appar~
<br />ently convinced yesterday.
<br />But its refusal to abandon (yet)
<br />its water rights for Juniper Dam
<br />could still cause the idea to evapo-
<br />rate.
<br />"Elkhead needs to be enlarged'
<br />was the impression River District
<br />Board Member Richard Tisdale,
<br />the Ouray County representative,
<br />said he developed during the two
<br />days of tours and meetings here.
<br />There's still too much infonoa.
<br />tion missing on a variety of sub.
<br />jects for Tisdale to decide whether
<br />to trade away the conditional
<br />water decrees the District holds
<br />for Juniper, though. He's uncer.
<br />tain that scientists have really
<br />shown that converting Juniper's
<br />water into an instream flow is ac.-
<br />,ually what is needed to help the
<br />endangered fishes in the Yampa
<br />River, for one. He said he wouldn't
<br />mind trying to loan the water on
<br />an interim basis, though. And
<br />there's much more information
<br />needed about expanding Elkhead,
<br />too.
<br />"'There are some pretty gross as~
<br />sumptions being made," said Tis.
<br />dale. "I don't have enough infor.
<br />mation now to really commit that
<br />water. It
<br />Mesa County River District
<br />Representative Greg Hoskins ex.
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<br />pressed similar feelings.
<br />'They definitely ought to do
<br />more studies,' he said, adding that
<br />he could support entering into a
<br />memorandum .of underatllnding .
<br />outlining tbe issues that need ad.
<br />dressing, as proposed by a U.S.
<br />Fish and Wildlife Service repre.
<br />sentative.
<br />"It (expanding Elkhead) looks
<br />like it has potential for the area
<br />and would be supported by the
<br />government agencies," he said. "I
<br />think that it's a real benefit to the
<br />area."
<br />While no vote was taken, and
<br />just nine of 15 board members
<br />were present, there was no oPPOsi.
<br />tion voiced when the staff recom.
<br />mended continning study. at the
<br />meeting's end Thursday. Another
<br />two years of River District funds
<br />($100,000 a year) for continued
<br />study of the expansion will be pro-
<br />grammed into the annual budget,
<br />which will be presented to the
<br />board at its October meeting, said
<br />Chris Treese, the River District's
<br />spokesperson.
<br />If approved, engineers would
<br />begin "knocking on rocks' at Elk.
<br />head, seeking geologic and hydro-
<br />logic data to confirm initial im.
<br />pressions that expanding Elkhead
<br />Reservoir is feasible, said Rollie
<br />Fischer, top staffer at the River
<br />Distriet.
<br />Ray Tenney, the River District
<br />staffer who has lead the current
<br />study, said the money woulabe
<br />used only to further knowledge
<br />
<br />1000's AF
<br />100 - 'm 1989 Potential
<br />2040 Potential
<br />
<br />J
<br />
<br />I
<br />
<br />80
<br />
<br />
<br />1989 Actual
<br />2015 Potenllal
<br />
<br />40.
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<br />60 -
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<br />20
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<br />Muni & Comm
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<br />Ind~"Slry and Mlne"s
<br />
<br />Res Evap & Exports
<br />
<br />Agriculture
<br />
<br />Gl<Iphicprovicied by !he Colorado RiverWat Conversation Dislrid
<br />Projected water needs. In the Yamp~ myel Valley\"puld be saUslfie!! through the year 2040 by er.pal.t'ing EI~.
<br />head ReservoIr and later enlarging ~~eCoach R~lVolr. .
<br />about Elkhead, not ~e propos~! . ... ."Whether 6,. not the. River Dis. dams would cool the waters (the
<br />for a reservoir at Williams Fork p~; ... tri~'t is wj!ling to give up its Ju. endangered fish ap?arently need
<br />other three sites.. j .niper water rights is a key ques- warm waters) and eliminate the
<br />Funding would be matched by . tion that must be lUlBwered in the large spring runoff flows scientists
<br />equal contributions from the Col. future. suspect the fish need to trigger
<br />orado Water Conaervatlon Board The endangered fish in the river spawning.
<br />and the Bureau of Reclamation, would be threatened if Juniper "j haven't found a fisb biologist
<br />said Eric Kuhn of the River Dis. were built, .the board heard from yet who believes Juniper.Cross
<br />triet. John Hamill, the United State Mountain can be built without ad-
<br />The most critical next step is for Fish and Wildlife. Service official versely affecting the endangered
<br />all the various participants to out- heading up recovery efforts on the fish,' Hamill said.
<br />line the issues and goals to pursue, Yampa, Colorado and Gunnison. But, he added, he personnally
<br />said Don Birkner, Craig's city Between 60 and 100 miles of cur. was encouraged by tbe planning
<br />manager. . rentlYOCCllpiedsquawf'lShhabitat process and was "optimistic'
<br />"Until that's done, we can't real. would be .drowned by Juniper and
<br />Iy getstarwl," he said. Cross Mountain dams, plus the Please see ELKJIEAI) on page 2.
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