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<br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER STORAGE PROJECT <br /> <br />21 <br /> <br />based on assumptions add estimates relating to many factors including: <br />water supply and resljltant power-production capability,powerc <br />marketing arrangements, and interest rates. <br />Our comments on certain aspects of the Bureau's financial and <br />economic analyses of the Colorado River Storage Project and par- <br />ticipating proj ects begin on page 27, <br />Pmsuant to our request, the Federal Power Commission (FPC} , <br />made an appraisal of 'engineering and hydranlic criteria used iIlt <br />repayment analyses to estimate firm power capabilities and anticipated, <br />power revenues of the Colorado River Storage Proj ect. The FPO <br />report is discussed on p\1ge 31 and is included as appendix A, pages: <br />69 through 79, <br /> <br />2, Significant changes in project plans have occurred since authori- <br />zation and an unusually long period is required Jor repayment <br />oj the Government's investment in power oj the Collbran Project, <br />Colorado . <br />Our audit disclosed that significant changes in the constructlQn. <br />and repayment plans filr the Collbran Project have occurred since <br />the project was authori~ed by the Congress in 1952, The principal <br />differences between the :revised plan and the authorized plan are (1)' <br />the elimination of the specific municipal and industrial water supply <br />features because the city of Grand Junction, Colorado, declined to <br />participate in the project, (2) the relocation of the Cameo power <br />plant to the Lower Molina site, and (3) an increase in total installed <br />generating capacity of the proposed power plants from 7,400 kilowatts <br />to 13,500 kilowatts, We found also that, based on Bureau studies <br />and a rate of 8,8 mills a kilowatt-hour for firm power, it will take 61 <br />years to repay, with interest, the Government's investment in power; <br />the studies show also th~t it will take another 14 years after power has <br />been repaid, or a total ;of 75 years, to repay irrigation construction <br />costs which are beyond the water users' ability to repay within their <br />50-year contract period,. <br />A more detailed discussion of the Collbran Project appears on pages <br />38 through 41. <br /> <br />3. Project beneficiaryes are 1),ot required to reimburse the Government <br />Jor investi.gation costs financed Jrom the Colorado River Develop- <br />ment Fund ; <br />Under reclamation laW, investigation costs applicable to authorized <br />projects are generally r:eimbursable by project beneficiaries, How- <br />ever, since there is no s'pecific legislative requirement for reimburse- <br />ment of expenditures made from the Colorado River Development <br />Fund, the Bureau considers all costs financed from such fund as <br />nonreimbursable even th,\lUgh certain costs are applicable to authorized <br />projects and are transfer,red to and recorded as a cost of such projects. <br />A mOre detailed discussion of the activities financed from the Colorado, <br />River Development Fund is contained on pages 51 and 52. <br />, . <br />4, Accounting and Ji.nanciol policy , <br />The finllJlcial statem~ts (schedules 1 through 3) included in this <br />report present on a combined basis the assets and liabilities and the. <br />results of operations of the major activities of the Bureau of Reclamac <br />tion in the upper Colori1do River basin, These financial statements; <br /> <br />