WSP11381

• File Number: 8141
• Description: Fryingpan-Arkansas Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 8/1/1989
• Author: US DoI BoR
• Title: Final Supplement to the Environmental Statement - Ruedi Reservoir Colorado Round II Water Marketing Program - pg 11.1 - end
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: EIS

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CONSERVATION GROUPS
COMMENT LETTER

Aspln W!ld.cne I ~ork.~ p
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These co~~ont. on the Round Two YAter ..1es tro~l~~i R.. r~of; ,
.Ire submitted by the "apen wUderness :,'oricahop .lnd.t.:a. G"r~ l~ "our::\'J
Citi%.na A..ceiation. They .~ppl.m.nt oral co~n.nd~~ . ~~
NovlImber' 17 pUblic h..ril'lQ' in ca.nvood Sp1'"inqa. ~a",' :...:

Ruedj. Re.ervoir
RourA Tvo w.t~r Sal.s

The ~.pen Wilderne.. Workshop (A~l CQprl.entl over 100 r..i Inti o~
the ~o.rinQ' fork River vallllY, Or9anizlId in 1959, it. purpo I ia to
addr... i..u.. concernlnq u.. ot pUblic land. 1n the ~..t. hI
Garfield County Citizens A..o~iation (GCCA) Is co~posed ot n _rly
70 w~~ber.. It. n,w'~e~ter h~' ~en reqoe.ted by over 200 p opl.
~hrou~hout the StAte at Colorldo. It va. tor~ed 2 yeAr. A90 to tocus
on issu.. Affecting the qUA~i~y ot lire 1n Weltern Colorldo.

Both the AWW And the CCCA Are Are oppoled to the Pret.rred A ternativ.
1n the drAft supplement.

One ot our objectlon. i. the #LL or noth1n9 ~ppro.ch. I' ~ e vater
is to be sold tram Ruedi ~eservDir, thoro Are bette, YAy' to do it
14'"'1 than the Peereu'ed "It.rnat.ivl!. It. i. not. po.slble to lUke he tl.n.
~o'kAble choicl vhen only 2 e~tremes are pre.ented. A comprdmi..
approAch luch II Alternative P .hould have Also ;een considered in thil
~ocuml!l"ot. . 1
~e al.o queSt10n vhether re4l demlnd (or III thl~ w~~e~ .c~~.ll~ ~~l~~"
Both popu14t1on tr.nd and oil sh.l. production estlmat.s u..d in the
draft ~~re mlde in 1980 Ind 1981. These (iqure. ~eed to be uPdated to
14-2 :etlect the About-tace that oCcurred 11"0 the oil shale indUltt[ in 1982.
A deC1sLon ot this import can~Ot validly be ~adl until thLs i doni.
It i. not rlqht to ..critice ~n i~portlnt exi.~l~; in~uI~ry { .cre.ttonl
~or the e~ra~ic. nebulou. pl.~. 0' I t~turl on..
~ecte.tion is an established. important use of A~e~i and the ryinQ
Pan River. Tni. use of th... bodies ot ~.ter co~tritute. Sub tant14~ly
to 10cIl economiell. .rhe dr::.t' doc:ur:'ltellt II.q:etel ....t..:'I thl' but OlU ~Ot .
14-3 tlke it .erioully. Simply ma~ntalninq minimum St:~~m :l~v. ~ d
~llovinq u.e ot the roservoir. ~h.tQvQr i~s conc\~~on. dos, n t
I.dequI".ely protc:ct current rf1tre.tlon~l uses. ::. =is4qrae vi h tho! dr&!t.
The PC'lterred AlterniltivQ ....ou}d si~ni:icilntl}" ceo;r'lce rec:~at: onll
oPPor:~ni ~ ies.

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The bul~ ot rl'lcreatlon.:.l ~n~o",Q corr.r:~s into tlH5 rllq:on ~,l th.. V~nter.
:he sU::'IIIIer income qf1'OI:'rate::l by the u::lt..! o~ ?:ut!r1i ':':-.'-1 t:'ll.! r~ye: 00\1"'-
5trailn is ~ss(!ntt..l tl) lIlul\tilir" com:tunlti',I. tto i'l r:"H.tir;ULH~Y i":'~ort.,u".t.
.0 the lown oC O"lIil!t. ..hlcn j.S v"!ry d'!p'~r.oent 0:'1 th~S incoll'.c to :'1'..1:",-
':..lln ~r)me salt.suCLr;i,~nci'. TI1'~ dt<!l:t SL'j:;p!.~mcnt :onLo11ns no .!.;utes
In~ic~Linq tnilt thl.! lmp':'~t~ a~ ~nd t~~ 1~~ortJnc~ a~ tn1~ 1n.o ~ ~~vq

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RESPONSE

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The Environme"tal Assessment prepared for Ruedi
Reservoir (March 1983) analyzed 11 different
alternatives. The Supplement to the FES
includes this analysis by reference. The No
Action, Preferred, and Preferred with Conserva-
t1Dn Measu~es ~'ternat1~es a~e the on'y a'ter-
natives presented in detail in the Final
Supplement for the sake of brevity. The
Preferred Alternative was selected based on the
use requirements associated with the reservoir
and the requirements of the authorizing legisla-
tion for the project.

Since there is an up-front substantial expendi-
ture associated with signing contracts, the real
demand for future timely use will surface at
that time,

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The Preferred Alternat i ve will tend to make
Ru~d, ~,~,1ar to other re~ervQ'rs ,n termS Qf
drawdown. The probabll fty of the reservoi r
level dropping below 85,000 acre-feet on
September 1 under the Preferred Alternative is
25 percent, while the existing probability is
three percent.

The availability of water for economic deve'op-
ment of western Colorado is an accepted fact,
It is also recognized that the resource is
finite and ttlat a means of allocating water
among competing uses is essential. The author-
izing legislation for Ruedi Reservoir establ-
ished priorities of use for water stored i" the
reservoir. Analysis of the Preferred Altern-
atlve snows t'nat stable concl't'ons wnl pre~an
for all authorized uses of Ruedi Reservoir given
the prevailing uncertainties that exist in the
hydrologic setting. Since no water use interest

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