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<br />THE BIG THOMPSON co~linued
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<br />Enou"h waleI' \'earlY 10 eo\'er RhoJe Island SIX inches deep. . .
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<br />30,000 1_. And",,", Ih... h~ problobly "'(MIld be
<br />uftBbl~ 10 ..... th~ .....,.mmost exl~mltlo1l,
<br />H.."" 01 It>. Blg-T b com~ <>llhr..e bodll'S
<br />of W.'t'l'--Gnlnby ..........oLT ,..Uh fony Inti... 01
<br />Ih"'....liM, Sh."""" MOlUlla1n 4ok.. "nd Grand l...k~.
<br />Gnlnby......-n.-<>ltlo""""-'Lvlngaurkl..~llt'CIlnE
<br />IUl"plu.o f1ov.', Jrum th.. Colorado flvn and WH.
<br />Iov.'""",k. Thlswal"," b puml'"l upw.rd 1861....1
<br />lntoSh._Mountalnlak.....~Uf1ov....by
<br />g.--vlty lnlO 11l8Il'PLtLc..nl GrAlld l.k..
<br />n.~ AI~. a Ad3.ms tunnel. n8.l1>O'd in honor <>t
<br />1"" lat.. Col<>rado ""'.'<>1" wha tlrat 1nlrndlK"11'd
<br />Rlg.T"", "'(illation lnt<>mne"'"l. ...l"Vft.. ~
<br />prlnciPIII arl.ry t<>t 1M dl'<'l1l.tion !J)-';I~m. It
<br />lak... ""U..r trom Grand lab and tran.poM.!1
<br />tnrlJm1l...un....rlhC<>ntln..nt.1Di~lhrough
<br />.9-t<>OI.CQn~l~Ul><'dbo....,
<br />On tt>. ~ul~rn old. of th~ mountains. Ih..
<br />....I..r poun trom th.. Adami lun....! lnlo .n In.
<br />tri".l".}"I..molcondulb.rlv."andtunn..ls...nd
<br />"'.....tually It Impoundffi In two prlnt1paJ "","r.
<br />VIlIn--HolVloolh /"'....1 at Fort CollIn", .nd C...r-
<br />toor 'fI<>nhWMl 01 Longmant) l...k.... On 0"" l..g
<br />alll.J'mrney....."'" of Ih.. W.I<1" I. d1v..ned lllto
<br />iJ><oBlgThompaon"verand~jtelUltur.lchAn'
<br />n..l.thUl.ddtnglhe....-undlUlltollh..proJ...,.,..
<br />n.me.
<br />From Ita "ul~rn .lop<' rn<:'",..oi.. th.. ....1"'"
<br />n<>ws Into. maze of c.n.ta. f~~r u....., dUdl"
<br />andv"'i<>uIlrrlg.llonJy.lernatob<'lp~.dov..r
<br />615.000eet'l1l-.n Ul"..lmoalaablgulheltal..
<br />of Rhodf. 1I1.nd. The 300,000 .t"l'e-t'-"'l or mort'
<br />o>f"".lerlh..proJ~d-eUv""""ch}'t'...rto""'I'
<br />..rn Calor.do> 11 .utfld..1lt to covn Rh""" bl.nd
<br />10. d~pth ot 6 Inch.... In th.. P""-"'" ot ~lng
<br />d..Uv"....d, 11 e"'~rat... ~noueh ..It'Clridly (lolal
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<br />InatallMl ","p.rlty 179.000 kllow.tts) lO .upply.
<br />t113.tJ1e IW: of pro:.wu Denv..r.
<br />Lan ye.r .Ion... pow..r ..I", lrom the proJ...,.,
<br />brouihl In do&e W $3mlllloll_""batalltlal_"
<br />pa)'llWnl on the ptN.'..r LlUuallalk>1\I ",hleh mal
<br />k6m1llion.
<br />Rouihly. that b the Colon.do-BIg Thompson
<br />proJect-
<br />BUl 10 dlsmlaa It "'LIb th.t bn..-f deerTtpllon
<br />...ould t... Uke mtnlmlzlni" .tomk en~r&y. Earll
<br /><J<-velop........1 wUhln th~ ..nIL"" project wu, In
<br />Itwlt.. maJ.,.. t..al of ""eLneo-rini" .nd ""n&l.......
<br />Uong"nlua.1bel3-mi!elunnel.boredslmultane-
<br />"""Iy trom bolh ~ndl. mP! about mld....Y ...Uh.
<br />m.rglnalerrornobl.i:ro-l" than.t.....nf}l.b\'~"""'l
<br />pi""". Enllln""," Ih"" made th.. tunnel &en..,!Wo
<br />PUl"POSHbyln.,.lIlneeas.tllled Illbine through
<br />whictt lhey ran an electrlcal mnd'IlL ThII ..lim!.
<br />n.IO<llh"~lor.ne..rttHca.trlngpowerlrane-
<br />m1u;on lln~.
<br />AI on.. potnl. th.. t.lI of "'.Ier g..n~ral~~ 1Ul.
<br />f1dt-nl power 10 111t tt Ill' inta ~lIolh..r ........rvalt
<br />virtually by Ita ""'11 OOo",trapl. A torm ot per.
<br />P!'Iuel moUon was adtlevl'd. You Call do. lot
<br />ot thjn~ with ,...I..r.
<br />One nl th~ ......1'"1 p""jecU In the chain IoIiU
<br />G""'n Mount.Ln d.m and power pl.nt, ""n.
<br />sU'Ucted In SIn"" lUt'Plua walen 01 lhe- Bl..... rlv~r.
<br />Thb "'.'~r. Impounded durlne th~ ~prlni" runol!.
<br />I. U5ed l.'~r In th~ ....son 10 ""mpensate the
<br />Colarado river to. "'.1.... dj~..n<'<l thr<>ugh iJ><o
<br />BIR-T project. An equliabl.. lIow dowr! 1M Colo-
<br />r.do ""er to Ihua .uur"d It I.k.... ~eiol\"
<br />w1d<' view 10 11l8~ maximum \Ill<' ot w.I<'I".
<br />The f1nl .n1lldal ",.,..rlnll" af CTo~ waa p....'"
<br />tl<>ed In nOl"lheutem Colorado about 1860 whft>
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<br />"'''1<'" plow"" ouL dUm... and IlTIg.l<'<l. J.....
<br />."""'. 1n turn c,,""" l.... old l'nlan Colony ot
<br />G"-""Iey, luggertOO in 1870 by Hora"" G,....,ley.
<br />'''''''OOUarof lh" Nev; York T...w....... The colony
<br />lmi.tOO .boul 12,000 a~rn-
<br />A. lrrig.tlon ll'"""'. CQla....do p;o"""red in 10'.'
<br />t.-ria....nd...l. n.tional~xampl"ol ""mmunlty
<br />""""p"l".ti<>n In w.ter <k>velopml'~,I. Around t....
<br />lurn at th.. <,<,n'uf}". Ih~ lu.. Chari... Han_.
<br />publlsh..r at the G.....le)o Tnh..... heelUn<' inleT'
<br />...100 In th" poulbJlllJn nt tr.nJlllounlaln W.let.
<br />di~'e....Jon. H" ....... on.. of II><' fJl"'lt 10 ..nvl.1on
<br />th.. Colorado-Big ThOl1lpann "1"0""'1 as lum. Th..
<br />oth... W.I..r <'Xl"'n~. D. E. Carpeluer and D. A.
<br />Camll..ld. h.d Ilmllar wal~r dev~lopm..n1 Idn...
<br />C..rpenlfr.".bndloo.I"".Y........ .go.l12, "'u
<br />""neldero:d one of th~ ",...r. great...1 fli"Uro:a of
<br />.1I limo: In "",t~r do-\...Iopmehl. II w.. larg~ly
<br />throu!:h hill etlorta .h.llhe Colorado fI'.... rom.
<br />paM of 19Z2 c:am.lnto "tt....t.
<br />II wun'l unlll 1930, twwc"..r. Ihat th.. BIll" Tom
<br />look Ih.p". H"""'n who was. ~I"'t .dollnll.
<br />IrUor In th~un""naJn 1!l3O'..lhougbl otth..pn:o.
<br />Je<1 ao a i""'al publk' ""orl<. "'hldl would h..lp
<br />b....k the depl"<'SOlon. .0.1 1....01 ~gion.lly. H..
<br />l.undlf'fl a eampala-n.look updonatlono 1<) p~..
<br />torlh..prolect-
<br />In Ih.. .pring 01 1935. f-'o1lgrt'SS .U"".led
<br />f150.to:'J 10 tho- bu,.""u at ,..,.,lam.lIon lor .ur.
<br />v..ya lo .'udy lhe t..asil>lllly ot RIg.T. Th" bun>a.u
<br />het'df'flno...lIingon1hel.......lld...ntoutlleld
<br />pan!... thai Augu.L
<br />But Ih~ Colorado-Big n.omp""" proJ...,., .....
<br />nol barn wllhout. sll'\lggle. Easlern f-'o1lg\'f'Slo
<br />m<'1l tOughllh" propm.L !'.ew Yot1< l1f'Wlp.8pel"l
<br />opposed Lt. Colorado'l onngresolonal d~Ieg.lian
<br />e.o"tin"..d
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<br />F....... Grand Lak.. on Ih.. ......,. ,he 13.).tnil.. .-\I~. _4-d.m. .unn..1
<br />rani... Ih.. flo... Il""uflb Ib.. lofly n..""... If> Ihi. "..I oUII..,.
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<br />Th.. ../abora'.. lvat".., -In.-llI.in . ...ri... nr .I.,ion. for h'<<'i~in!t.
<br />.Iorin. and pu~pinl!' Thi. i. ,h.. h.......u.1 E.-IH po"." pl.nl.
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<br />U,~"RE "'AGAZIN,
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