<br />
<br />..
<br />
<br />!Good things took time to complete
<br />
<br />n~ CHRIS woonl\\
<br />Th., P",N" ("/Iidl"il!
<br />... Rome \\::1..0"1 buill in.1 day.
<br />"
<br /><1l And from the beginning. il "";1" ell'aT
<br />9 that it would talc quite awhik 10 corn-
<br />ii' plete till' rr)jll~pan-Ark;msas Pr\)j.:cl.
<br />
<br />~ [ven in 19(,2, \\hcn the $500.000 fN
<br />? planning the project was authorih'J. c\,.
<br />"cryone invohed in the project knew it
<br />~ would l;lkc lime. It \\;l"l'~timalcd lhat
<br />if peak construction "ould n01 be until
<br />. 1969 or 1970. When 1970 linally rolkd
<br />fl around, "Cork W:lsjusllx-ginning on
<br />o Pueblo D;lm. the larg\''\, C(ln',lr\ll..'tioll
<br />:" project in Ihcs)'sll'm.
<br />
<br />~ The- CO"'1 of projcl'\ ".1<; "...limall'J in
<br />,5 1962011 $170 millirm, lho..." \\'crt' the
<br />'g da)'s before the cnl'Tgy cri"cs and inn,t-
<br />i' tion that ('\'ellluaI1)' Jro\'l:' projC\'t co...[s
<br />~ to more In.1ll $500 million.
<br />
<br />QI Work .llso "as ~Iowcll dO\\n by f....d....r.
<br />~ OIl budget cmb;lds during th.... !at.... 191'(h,
<br />: 1970s ;md 1980s, Man)' parts of th.... pro.
<br />o jeet. such as the sill.' ofPul.'hlo Dam and
<br />~ the construction of power plants, were-
<br />:J substantiall)' ch:mg....d over Ihe years.
<br />
<br />~ The [mironntcntal PrOh."t'tion ACI of
<br />~ 1969 was not in force and most of the
<br />~ questions of land aequj.,ition dl'ah \\ ith
<br />;: rccrC:lIion Concerns, ralher Ih;m the
<br />m environment.
<br />a.
<br />a: RUl'Ji Reservoir near A"pcn \\:l~ th....
<br />g Iirst projl.'cl to b\.'e-in. In 1964, the Ru.
<br />~ rcau of Rl'damatton hought 360 am:s of
<br />lland Ill':n A~JX'n f,lr thc lall' <InJ a con-
<br />i: Iract for $10.... million was aW:HJl'J for
<br />~ construction of Ih.... :!S5-fool high. cr;lIh.
<br />'< IiIkd dam. A '-'urroundin~ 1.700 :l('fl'S
<br />~ was !oct aside for recrealion, RueJi Res-
<br />.g crvoir wa... compk!cd in 1961\.
<br />
<br />;:; In ]965, Ih....Southl.<lstcrn Coloradu
<br />~ Water Con\Cnancy Dislrict sign....d a
<br />;: $68.J~4 million repay Illl.'nt contract \Iith
<br />:8 the Burl'au of RI't:l:lIl1alion. It lIas thl.'
<br />sl'cond highl.'sl in hislory ;1I Ihe timc.
<br />
<br />COn\trul"tion on thc Ch;Hks II. Bous,
<br />h..ld Tunnel began in ]966. b\..forl.th....
<br />I'ompklion of Ruedi Rcscnoir. Origin;l]'
<br />I} calk'd. the Di\'idl' Tunncl. it \Ia.. th....
<br />Iar1!e~l ()rlhr~'\.' lunnds under a 517.2
<br />milli\m Ctmlrad av..Hdl'J ill 1%5. It
<br />IDOl.. six )e.lr~ to 1'011lplcl\.' the 5A'mik.
<br />lOll!! tunnd. Thl.' tunnd had ,I dlallh.'t\.'r
<br />tlf 10.5 kl'l. \\hich \10uld allo\\ up to
<br />I~O,O()O an~.fl'~'1 Of\\all'r 10 P,I"s in on.:
<br />)I'ar. Wata W:h dump.:d inlO Turl..Juui"l'
<br />I.ah'. \\ hich had hl.en l'nlar!!cJ to h'lld
<br />I ~'1,OOO ;l~TI'.f('l.t t1f \\ all.'r in 1968.
<br />
<br />It \\';1:> n.lnwJ fvr Char]l.':> Ii, B,)us.
<br />lead, Ih.: lirSI gelll'ra] mana~~r pf the dlS'
<br />tril't.
<br />
<br />The IlInnl'l \\,<1" mc! \\ilh a prot\.'sl
<br />"h....n il \I;IS dl'Jil'ated on June ':'J, 197~.
<br />10 miles I\l.'sl uf Leadlilll' Th\.' proles.
<br />t....rs, mainly from the Wt'sll'rn Slorl'. l'ar.
<br />ril'd sign.. wilh slogans ~ul'h ;IS "I)I\l'r!
<br />Water, t\ot Pl'uplc" <llld "More Di\....r.
<br />sioll. ~Ime Urban Spr,ml:'
<br />
<br />1'h,lt did not dcta thl' enthu..i.hlk
<br />CTO\\d or \alle, rl.':>idl'nts and sla!1.' offi.
<br />cials \\ ho h<lJ ~,llhal'd 10 cekbrat.... \\ hat
<br />Chicftain Puhlbhl.'r Fr..lIl).,; S. lIoal! Jr.
<br />I'aIIeJ, allhl' til11('. '.A dre.lm come
<br />(rue."
<br />
<br />Ground lIas broken fl)r Pu\.'b]o Rl.'Sl.'r,
<br />\ nir. alslll'alled Lake "u\.'bltl. on Aug.
<br />~""', 1967.1'\\0 ) <ar:> \ler\.' ro:4uir('J for
<br />in..l...L1lalion of a \.'onn\.'!c "plug.' Ihat
<br />funned the b;lS(' of th.... d.lIn,
<br />
<br />Con:>truction on thl' dam ilsdf began
<br />III 1970.
<br />
<br />Tor; J.:jkc: )\.as.~~_l]e~ t~ bt)~ting: I~)h.
<br />
<br />
<br />-. .. - - .......-.- --
<br />. . ,':/.,i':"':_;;'~_,%".t.....- __
<br />;'. '~' .,........t-;~t.:,.,..._-:'...
<br />, . ."N~".."-
<br />1'-':' '..r', ,..'<t:-'i."....~:."X.,..-.,'
<br />-A _' .'. .- '.t' ,.."..', ..,'"
<br />" " .,o,~..",t'
<br />.... . ' , '. '.:. .-1.
<br />i"),:; "', ,,,:, ,'.
<br />, . "":1-.- ';:, .":;;',<
<br />
<br />..
<br />
<br />-
<br />Jij
<br />
<br />....
<br />
<br />S'"
<br />
<br />-...
<br />....~
<br />.
<br />
<br />
<br />;1
<br />
<br />Building the dream
<br />
<br />V"
<br />",:'qI '0;'
<br />....~. '.-.-.'.-;~...x.'
<br />N".;:.. t. ;:"'~10, '.fi',
<br />,~,,;~....... .\f. '"
<br />, <~ ~"'...'~~"
<br />" '" ...:
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />Workers spent 22 years bUlldmg ....arlous phases 01
<br />the Fryinpan,Arkansas PrOject Shown here are
<br />blasting work in 1963 in preparation Of Rued. Reser-
<br />voir. the compleled Ruedl Reservoir in 1968, weld,
<br />ing on the Boustead Tunnel in 1968; and Pueblo
<br />Dam neanng Completion In March 01 1974
<br />
<br />-.-
<br />
<br />~.
<br />"
<br />..'....
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />
<br />~-.
<br />
<br />...;:
<br />-, ~...'-..?" ", ~"':.':E
<br />_.:::'-''':t-'2'~ -~.
<br />_""'- l'>>"-
<br />
<br />;~~--~,
<br />-
<br />l-! a .:~.,
<br />
<br />~-4....~. ~
<br />. , '. -<Ok 'lI~'-
<br />
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<br />
<br />"J.' "
<br />,'Jy; btt.
<br />-."
<br />
<br /><>:'~'';.o;;:o, ~.:
<br />-- '~~~~;'7~.-.
<br />-"~"'t:<.~~'-' ~---:::~:;<:~"
<br />~" -. '-~'~"
<br />
<br />'". .~
<br />
<br />y'
<br />
<br />,,-
<br />
<br />/
<br />
<br />ing <Jod other recrl.':llioll on Jul) I, ]976.
<br />At thl.' tlml'. \\'at....r was 50,fel.'t deep at
<br />Ih.... base of the ]91.foOI concrele J.tlll.
<br />The surface \\as onl) oll\.'-fifth of its po-
<br />tenlial 5.6~O-a're silt at the lime.
<br />Th.... lake has since ht.-cn Iilk'd - in
<br />1986 and In7. when rd:lti\dy liule
<br />transmountain wat1.'r wa.. uSl'd. In the
<br />dry )ears )ince. thc k\c1 of the lake has
<br />droppl"tf.
<br />
<br />The ~OO.ml'gawalt po\\er plant and
<br />l.'lllargl'mcnl ofTI\in lakes wa~ startl.'d
<br />in 1971. It finally "a\COmplcl\.-d and
<br />dl.'dicated at ;1 cl.r....mony on Sl.'pt. ~9.
<br />1981.
<br />
<br />was t'umplet('d III 19lcl5, bUllhc Fountalll
<br />V.dle} AUlhority refus\.-d to aCl'l.'pll1. By
<br />Ihe lim.... il lin;\lIy I\as t:umpkt<..'d il\ IY~7.
<br />the projl"t't cost 563 million - S:!O mil.
<br />hOIl more th.ln oilllkipilt....d. ,\ li.lnll'iIiJ<.'
<br />had broken the pi['ll: in 19M7.
<br />The Iinal pha'>!.' of the project began in
<br />1986 with construction oflhe Pueblo
<br />Fish H;Jtcht'ry bclow Pueblo Dam. That
<br />\\ork was compkt...d in Sl'pll.'llIOCr 1<)90.
<br />
<br />The 3S-milc-long Founlain \'alll.')
<br />pipdine was begun in 1979 from lake
<br />Pueblo as a means of transporting \\iller
<br />to Colorado Spring..s and nearby l'ilil.'s. II
<br />
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