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<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 /> <br />-, <br /> <br />'~". <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 /> <br />