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I--H !.. , Local Interest Local residents, western slope interests in Colorado, state officials, and outside interests are urgently backing the development of the Dallas Creek project as a means of utilizing undeveloped land, mineral, and water resources in the uncompahgre River Basin. Project supporters were influential in having the project included in the list of potential developments designated by Congress as having priority in the completion of planning reports in the Colorado River storage Project Act of April 11, 1956. Project sponsorship was the primary purpose for organization of the Tri-County Water Conservancy District in September, 1957, by local residents. The district has actively supported the project investigation and is obtaining water rights needed for the development. The Colorado Water Conservation Board has made financial contributions for project investigations and has helped coordinate activities of the various agencies engaged in the investigations. The city of Montrose is energetically supporting the project and meeting with various interests to promote its development. Conclusions and Recommendations The Dallas Creek project appears to be one of the better projects now under consideration in Colorado. Its primary purpose would be to provide a municipal and industrial water supply for a predominantly rural area which is now experiencing considerable residential and industrial growth. The project would also stabilize the irrigation supplies for presently irrigated lands. The environmental impact of the project will be minimal. The existing Uncompahgre river below the proposed reservoir site at the present time has very little fishery value. As a matter of fact, the entire Uncompahgre River has very little fishery value. However, with the construction of the reservoir and subsequent controlled releases, fishery values of the river would increase many times over. The recreational aspect of the reservoir itself would have a high value to the area. Additional municipal and industrial water for the area is most obviously required for the immediate future. This is evidenced by the fact that the Tri-County Water Conservancy District has already constructed a domestic pipeline at a cost of approximately 4.5 million dollars, based upon the anticipated construction of the Dallas Creek project. The particular problems which need immediate solution are the execution of a repayment contract, a firm decision on the -5-