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<br />'~."" <br />~, '!' '~"l <br />-o.-,,;~.;, <br /> <br />~fJ <br />{,-'{ <br />:f}'~~~r' <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The area to be served by the Tri-County Water Conservancy District <br /> <br />consists of the Uncompahgre Valley which originates near the City of Ouray, <br /> <br />Colorado, at the base of the San Juan Mountains and runs in a northerly <br /> <br />direction through the towns of Ridgway, Colona, Montrose and Olathe to <br /> <br />Delta where the Uncompahgre River merges with the Gunnison River. It <br /> <br />covers an area of approximat ely 50 miles in length and 10 miles in width in <br /> <br />southwest Colorado. This area was originally occupied by the Ute Indians <br /> <br />until approximately 1880 when the white man moved into the area. While the re <br /> <br />is considerable amount of moisture that falls in the San Juan Mountains in the <br /> <br />form of snow, the warm spring winds melt the snow and it runs off very <br /> <br />rapidly. In the spring time the peak flow of the Uncompahgre River reaches <br /> <br />approximately 1,500 second feet in late Mayor early June. It dwindles shortly <br /> <br />thereafter to a flow of 100 to 200 second feet. <br /> <br />In 1902 when the federal reclamation act was adopted, the Uncompahgre <br /> <br />Project was authorized to indroduce an additional 1,000 second feet of water <br /> <br />from t he Gunnison River to the Uncompahgre Valley. This involved the con- <br /> <br />struction of a six mile tunnel from the Gunni son River to the Uncompahgre <br /> <br />River and enabled the productive irrigation of approximately 100,000 acres <br /> <br />in the Uncompahgre Valley. The project, however, provided only irrigation <br /> <br />water and did not provide domestic water for the families that were farming <br /> <br />the land in the Uncompahgre Valley. <br /> <br />The municipalities that developed in the area were able to provide <br /> <br />separate domestic water systems for the people who lived within the corporate <br /> <br />limits of the municipalities and for those who lived in the immediate surround- <br /> <br />ing area. Left without a domestic water supply, however, were the thousands <br /> <br />-2 - <br />