WSP10075

• File Number: 8220.131.J
• Description: Yellow Jacket Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Yampa/White
• Water Division: 6
• Date: 5/15/1960
• Title: Preliminary Report: Sweetwater Hydroelectric Project
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

PRELIMINARY FEASIBILITY REPORT

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SWEETWATER HYDROELEC",'RIC PROJECT

SYNOPSIS

Rocky lVLountain Power Co. retained Van Sickle Associates, Ine. ~
an international engineering firm. in the spring of 1958 to inves-
tigate a specific power potential _in the State of Colorado as to its
practicability for a hydroelectric and water- service project and
to perform the necessary engineering on the assignment. The
first stag~ of their work has been completed and the results of
the preliminary surveys and studies that were carried out to deter-
mine economic feasibility of the project .are reported herein.

Preliminary studies show that the proposed project is feasible
for private development and that it would produce good returns on
money in....ested. These conclusions are based on studies deter-
mining sufficient water supply, surveys establishing adequate
water-Etorage areas, detailed preliminary estimates of construc-
tion, operation, and financing costs, preliminary investigations
of potential rrarkets. and estimates of expected revenues.

The proposed Sweetwater Hydroelectric Project is located in
northwestern Colorado. It would appropriate water from tribu-
taries of the White and Colorado Rivers for the generation of
power and for delivery to potential water users. The project plan
routes water through two drops of more than 1, 300 feet ea'-ch, which
would furnish energy for a powerplant installation of 56,400-kilo-
watt capacity capable of producing 307 million kilowatt-hours of
energy annually. Planned project storage facilities are adequate
for incorporating a 6?-percent capacity factor in the design.
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A filing, claiming water for the project, has been submitted to and
accepted by the Colorado State Engineer. The right to the use of
water in Colorado for beneficial purposes is protected by law. Fun-
damentally, Colorado water law is based on the premise that he
who is first in time is first in right to the use of water. The law
requires that the water be put to beneficial use and iliat due dili-
gence in providing facilities for its use be shown from the time of
claiming. If this is done. the law grants a decree protecting the
water right and provides for the State Engineer to administer the
water diversions in accordance with priorities established by the
courts. The first step toward obtaining a decree is claiming the
water by filing the project with the State Engineer, which has been
accomplished as mentioned above. Steps remaining to be taken
are, in order: (1) obtaining a conditional decree, (2) constructing
the project and putting the water to use, and (3) the mere formality
of obtaining a final decree protecting the water right for as long as
the water is beneficially used.

A firm determination of water available to the Sweetwater Hydro-
electric Project and of the capacities of the project features was
made. Water runoff recorcls were available to establish an excel-
lent basis for computation of the water production of the area
tributary to the project diversions. Surveys accomplished by Van
Sickle Associates provided basic data for determining storage
space available. The plan provides 90,850 acre-feet of storage
space to regulate the water for the varying needs of the power
market. The hydrology study developed that 115,630 acre-feet of
water annually is available for the generation of power at the
Sweetwater Powerplant and that 143.380 acre-feet of water is

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