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<br />Power plants planned as
<br />part of Dolores Project
<br />
<br />ConstrucUon of two
<br />bydroelectrIc power pIanta
<br />and _ _ the Dolans
<br />Project would creal.- 300
<br />'""'" jobo and generate 18,076
<br />million In _ during the
<br />...-year bulldlng period, an
<br />_bylbeWaferand
<br />Power Rersourcu ServIce
<br />(WPRS) In Salt Lake CIty
<br />noted,
<br />All ellllmated 140 0IHlle
<br />lobo with oaJarles lolaIlng
<br />p.1M million would be
<br />created by peak-year .....
<br />_on.
<br />Tb1s additional income
<br />woold Incrwe overall.......
<br />dary employment op-
<br />portun1ly by 210 and 1I81n the
<br />peakyear,
<br />"Impacts on commerclal
<br />Iacllitlea and oervlcea woold
<br />c100eIy para1IeI _Ioymenl
<br />trends," tbe asaeaament
<br />read. "causJng present
<br />facilities to become
<br />Inadequate sooner than they
<br />would bave without the
<br />proJect."
<br />'!'be hydroeJectrlc power
<br />plants, producing 11,.90
<br />kilowatts, have been Included
<br />in the Dolores River
<br />IlecIamaUOII Project pJans,
<br />Projecl Englneer Dana Hill
<br />,uplalned.
<br />One JlI'IlIlOII"d p1anl will be
<br />located at the oulIel of MOo
<br />Phee Dam &nd produce 990
<br />IdIowaUsofpo_.
<br />Another wiD. be located at
<br />the mouth of the new Dolores
<br />Twlnel aJOIl8 the Towaoc
<br />Canal and produce 10,500
<br />tiJowatta.
<br />A "draft environmental
<br />assessment" of the two
<br />hydroelectrIc plan" was
<br />drawo up by the Water and
<br />Power Resources Serv1cs Up-
<br />per Colorado River RegIonal
<br />OlItce In SaIl Lake Clly,
<br />RegJol'l DJrector N. W.
<br />Plumber, in a cover letter,
<br />wrote ". fInd:fng of no
<br />significant impact (en.
<br />vIronmenla~ ole.) Ia being
<br />~J~*,__ .
<br />Ja JustlfIed. the 6". ~--nt
<br />said, because ''the demand
<br />for total electrical generating
<br />capaelly In the Colorado
<br />River Storage Project (CR-
<br />SP) service area 18 ezpected
<br />to Increase by 35,000
<br />megawatts .between 1. and
<br />2000."
<br />1l1e CRSP area Includes
<br />the ...tes of CoJorado, New
<br />Mexico, Arizona and
<br />Wyoming In lbeIr enUreIy;
<br />all or porllons 01 sb: coonUes
<br />In Nevada; and the Slate of
<br />CaHlornla _ of the IIStb
<br />
<br />No major dlaturbances
<br />would occur aIoog the road,
<br />ezcepl at the places where
<br />the poles will be put In,
<br />Reseeding and l'f!vegetaUon
<br />would take place at aU diJtur.
<br />bed si~. Adverse impacts on
<br />wi1dJJle and tbe1r movements
<br />wouJdbeneglj&ible,
<br />The Towaoc Canal plant
<br />MeP1IEEDAMP!ANT would operate fr\uu AprIl 10
<br />1l1e McPhee Dam power OcloberlnllarlmanDrawon
<br />pIanl would operate yea... 1rrigaUon water COlIveye<!
<br />
<br />=_1~~~1~ -^_~U:~\ff"~ from
<br />
<br />minimum of 50 cubic feet per the 1977 plan and would con-
<br />seeond ($) run in the sistofanl1.7DO-footpenstock
<br />Dolores River at all _ replacing.. equal dlslance
<br />
<br />degree 01 1ooB1-. a..
<br />cording to the report.
<br />Palt 01 the ....... I<< the
<br />rlae In demand will be ..
<br />eatlmated population 1n~
<br />'....... 01 more than U
<br />million people d1IrIn& the
<br />same perted to bdng the tetaI
<br />10 lUll million by the eod 01
<br />thecentury.
<br />New eoe<gy and 1Dd_
<br />~ 0Ipec\ed In the
<br />area could a!Io _10
<br />the projected ~ In
<br />power needs.
<br />BIud1 01 another lJ>pe 01
<br />po_plant, for peak_ sup-
<br />ply, .... bandied by the
<br />WPRS oIIlce In Durango and
<br />lon' IncJuded In the Dolans
<br />Projecl pJans. n would be
<br />located OIl the Glade north 01
<br />Dry CanJOII an<! woold draw
<br />water from McPhee _
<br />voir. store it ID a lake and
<br />__Ulopmlde
<br />power durln& poak ...
<br />periods. Plana ...." 10 have
<br />beendroppedfortblllprojec!.
<br />In the _ OIl the
<br />McPhee Dam and T......,
<br />Cana1 bydroeJeclrlc pIaDIs In-
<br />eluded In the Dolans Project,
<br />the WPRS conl1noed' the
<br />just1flcalloo, Mlln8 that a1n-
<br />ce more power woaId be
<br />needed, the use of tbIlIlJ>pe
<br />"I. preferable to Don-
<br />__ f_luelsupplles
<br />or other _Uvea wblch
<br />are coot proIIfb/IIve, In earlT
<br />OlIIges 01 develnpmenl, or
<br />~iDfeulb1e.'.
<br />When the Dolores and other
<br />projects ...... lint approved
<br />In Il!18, power geoet'lIUon w..
<br />..eluded fr\uu the plana, But
<br />llllW rlsIn8 fuel coIlo and
<br />otber_ccriterlamak.
<br />it feasible 88 well as a
<br />desirable addjUOII to the
<br />project. Beneflt.ceot raU08
<br />are favorable, the
<br />.......",entn<lled.
<br />
<br />below McPbeeDam. 0Ill\l8D canal and drop II\rUo.
<br />A mulmum capaclly 01 SO lures OIl the Inl\lal steep par-
<br />cbs.... cbooen" the slt.e for lion 0/ the canal'. alJ&nmeol,
<br />the plant .. U could ... all .. well aa three power OIIita
<br />non mOlt effectively and a U5.DlOe transmiS8i0ll
<br />without extensive 1InetotbeCRSP.,.wn.
<br />IlllldifIcatiOll of the dam With both pIaDIs operaliDg,
<br />..-... Ibe _ n<lIed. the
<br />It would conalal 01 a pen. power produced would eK-
<br />_locatedwitblntheoullel ceed 0llII'IlY needa 01 the
<br />_ 01 the dam, . alnsJe projecl ezcepllor occaatooa1
<br />_ and generator at the peak demanddal1clts,
<br />bole 0/ the dam, and a U A port.Ionollbe power from
<br />m11e Interconnoctlnll Iran- both f.clUtlea would be uaed
<br />_ line to the CRSP lor irrI8atiOll pumping by the
<br />power.yalem grid wblcb con- DoJores W_ c-rvancy
<br />-. Glon Canyon, the DIalrlct.
<br />QlrracanU Project, FIamlng Both the pJans Jlated above
<br />Gorge. etc. are the alternativea
<br />No additional en~ preferredbiftbeWPRS.
<br />1'ironmeDtal impact wvuJd Another alternative
<br />reouJt, alnce the 3&4ncb- "",OIted and ewnlned
<br />dlameler, sau....long pen- ~ be lor no bydroe_fc
<br />_ would be located lnalcIe pianla 10 be bulIl wltb the
<br />the oulIel _ and the Jlofores Project,
<br />,.......tor bouaIng would be Noledthe_ent,
<br />bulIlOll prevtoualy dIalurbed "Becauae 01 Ita relaUvely
<br />,..- smaJl slt.e. aeloSloo of the
<br />Small oumhen of fl8b 'JlI'IlIlOII"d DuJo.... Projecl
<br />..... at the dam will be power planta fr\uu the CRSP
<br />more related to water .system would not sJgnifican-
<br />rei..... tbroIIgb the........ tJy reduce the lolaI .vaUable
<br />voir than pbyaIcal Injury enargy 10 the syatem, but
<br />caused by being drawn into even small energy In~
<br />tbe_, cramenta are __ to
<br />Ita _line wouJd aaaume greater lmporlance
<br />require a 2lMool rtgbl4way In the Weatem slates by the
<br />and a _ct mafnIenance year2000.
<br />l'OBd. It would nm essentlally "It seems fairly cer~
<br />In a straight tine from the tain...that more power
<br />dam 10 the Greet Cut Dllte prodllCtlOll facillllea will be
<br />pumping p1anl1o belp .upplT needed In the future, U any
<br />energy there. one potential plant is not cOn-
<br />atructed.the resulliDg enerlll'
<br />deBult will \Jav, 10 be al>-
<br />sorbed by another facIDty,
<br />wbetber hydro, foasU fuel, or
<br />(tber,
<br />"Conservatlon measures to
<br />
<br />reduce demand could be lm-
<br />plemented by mandate or by
<br />enlarging JnunUve.
<br />prevtded by government and
<br />po_ marketing enWes to
<br />-
<br />"Slepped-.p I.glalatlv.
<br />dlange at both '...le and
<br />lederaI 1eveIa. could Include
<br />tal relief 10 lndivIduala and
<br />_ pracllclng energy
<br />conaervatlOD.
<br />"But aucb enhaDced In.
<br />centtve woold have 10 be
<br />b8Ionced agalnol growl!> aDd
<br />demandraa1l1llngfroma
<br />population shift to the
<br />Westemstates. "
<br />All environmental
<br />preeaullona would be lal:en
<br />011 the two power planta and
<br />traDJll1iuion linea, the
<br />_aald.
<br />Althe Towaoc Canal p1anl,
<br />approllmalely two mllea 01
<br />_ canal woold become
<br />burled pipe and th. _
<br />would be .revegatated.
<br />creating more wildlife
<br />habilal.
<br />'l1Ie lIO-by-iO-fool buJJdlng
<br />woald be designed to blend
<br />wltb the IUlTOlIDdlng ....
<br />vtronment. The penalqck
<br />wouJd be located aIoog the
<br />same alJgnment 81 the
<br />Towaoc Canal chutes.
<br />P1acemeni 01_
<br />l1nes ~ require a '/Moot
<br />rigbt-of-way and would have
<br />a two-track maJntenance
<br />road.
<br />In the .... of ancJent If>.
<br />dIan arlifacla In the patha of
<br />the_lInea,the
<br />WPBS pr_ 10 Include
<br />\hose ro_ Inlo the Dol.....
<br />Archaeological Program tbl8
<br />\iummer,
<br />
<br />HIGH COUNTRY
<br />ELEV A TORS. INC.
<br />
<br />Dove Creek, Co.
<br />
<br />\
<br />
<br />677-2251
<br />
<br />A busy weekend ahead
<br />
<br />.
<br />. , In nur,.areQ... - .
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