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<br />0909
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<br />, D1atrict Ensr, Albuquerque
<br />
<br />January 13, '1953
<br />
<br />Hew Mexioo are the prinoipal oities in this ereawhich ocmprii.. HU,ertano'
<br />ID!! Lo. .Animas Oounties, Colorado; andCoUax and Mora Counties, New
<br />Mexico. The, City otTrinidad has two new 3,50D-Wowatt,steam-alectric
<br />units whioh are estilliated as adequate to supply its own load until abQUt
<br />1963, emlullive ot reserve capacity. There is a more :Immediate need
<br />toroapaoity to replace the obsolete generating equ1pmentin the Trinidad
<br />,plant ot ,the Frontier Power Compan;y.
<br />
<br />9., The reporting agency considered the possible development ot '
<br />h;YdroeleOtrio pow8l'at the Trinidad Dam. With an instsllation of 1,500
<br />kilowatts oapaoitt it was found that an average of abQUt 4,000,000 kil.owatt-
<br />hour. of .eoondery energy could be produced annually. Total and annual costs
<br />were eit:l.mated to be $500,000 and $32,000, respectively.
<br />
<br />10. It is seen :from the above that annual power benefits llIUst
<br />equal or emeed $32,000 in order to' justify power development at the Purge,..
<br />to1re ~ojeot, even' on an incremental basis to an irrigation and nood
<br />control project. Our ,e:xam:l.nation of the est:l.mated irrigation operation for
<br />a recurrence of the period 1924 to 1949 showed that except for a minimum re-
<br />leue of 5 ots during March ani November the reservoiI' operated se$sonally
<br />during the period April to October, inclUSive, each year. On that basis,
<br />power produotionwould be incidental to iI'rigation releases and no energy
<br />would be generated during December, the month of peak pOwer demand for the
<br />area. If' the, intermittent output is considered to have a value equal to
<br />4.5 mills, the estimated cost of fuel at the Trinidad Municipal Plant, the'
<br />total annual power benefits would be $1$,000. The resulting benefits-cost,
<br />ratio is only 0.56 to 1.00.
<br />
<br />, 11. \le realize there are complex problems involved in the proposed
<br />plan to achiev' optimum agricultural use of the 65,loo acre-feet of annual
<br />runoff of PurgatoiI'e River at Trinidad. Consequently, power development,
<br />even it economiCally justified, would undoubtedly be deferred until iI'riga-
<br />tion operations are stabilized. Therefore, we are in agreement with your
<br />findings that the erratic now of PurgatoiI'e River and th,e demand for all
<br />available water for iI'rigation purposes preclUdes the development of hydro-
<br />electric power at the Trinidad ReservoiI' Project at this time.
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<br />12. It is noted the report states that the Trinidad ReservoiI'
<br />'Project as proposed does not preclude the production of electric power at
<br />some future date. The staff has made a preliminary study of the possibility
<br />of inoreasing the economic feasibility of a hydroelectric plant at the Trinidad
<br />Dam, if or when power development is reconsidered saine tille after the project
<br />is in operation. The study was based on the assumption that reregulatory .'
<br />storage could be provided downstream :from Trinidad ReservoiI'. The Model Land
<br />and Irrigation Company's diversion dam and the off-stream Model ReservoiI' ma;y
<br />be kept in operable condition. In that event it IllIlY be feasible to make
<br />minimum releases of 1,100 acre-feet monthly through the potential power plant
<br />
<br />,> .'-~ ,;;..
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<br />APPEND IX G
<br />Exhibit No. 10
<br />Page 30fA
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