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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />in 1910 a filing was made by private interests for the construction of <br /> <br /> <br />a dam at the Narrows site. In the early 1940's the Bureau of Recla- <br /> <br /> <br />mation conducted reconnaissance surveys on the Lower South Platte <br /> <br />River in Colorado. In 1944 tl1e result of this reconnaissance survey <br /> <br />was published as Senate Document No. 191. Six separate dam sites on <br /> <br />the South Platte River were studied. Subsequent detailed investiga- <br /> <br />tions resulted in the selection of the Narrows site in Morgan County. <br /> <br />On July 24, 1946, the Congress approved the comprehensive <br /> <br /> <br />plan for the Missouri River Basin Project, which included the Narrows <br /> <br /> <br />unit in Colorado. In 1947 funds in the amount of $300,000 were <br /> <br /> <br />appropriated for initiation of construction of the Narrows unit. <br /> <br /> <br />Almost immediately local opposition to the project began to surface. <br /> <br /> <br />Right-of-way requirements were disturbing to local officials, one of <br /> <br />whom resided in the proposed reservoir area. Other arguments per- <br /> <br />taining to the service area and dam safety were also advanced. Oppo- <br /> <br />sition to the construction of the Narrows Dam was voiced by the <br /> <br />commissioners of Morgan County and hy the city officials and chamber <br /> <br />of commerce of the county's principal city, Fort Morgan. <br /> <br />With the initial appropriation. the Bureau of Reclamation <br /> <br />began extensive subsurface investigations at the Narrows site. <br /> <br />partially as a result of the criticism of the geologic conditions, a <br /> <br />board of consultants was constituted to appraise the suitability of <br /> <br />the damsite. This board concluded that a safe dam could be constructed <br /> <br />at the proposed site. <br /> <br />,..3- <br />