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<br />. . <br /> <br />Project water would be distributed by a canal and lateral system <br />constructed as part of the project. The Dove Creek Canal would be the <br />major project canal. It would receive water pumped from McPhee Res- <br />ervoir at Great Cut Dike by the Great Cut Pumping Plant and extent about <br />39 miles northwest to Monument Creek Reservoir. Other project conveyance <br />facilities would include the South Canal, a branch of the Dove Creek <br />Canal; the Dolores Tunnel, extending from McPhee Reservoir to the <br />existing system of the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company; and the <br />Towaoc Canal extending through the Montezuma Valley to the Towaoc area. <br />All main canals would be open and earthlined. <br /> <br />Sprinkler irrigation systems are planned for all of the full service <br />lands. Lands in the established Montezuma Valley area would continue <br />to be served by existing gravity systems. The sprinkler system for the <br />Dove Creek area would include six pumping plants to provide pressure at <br />farm turnouts. In the Towaoc area, pressure would be developed in the <br />pipe lateral system from the ground slope. The lateral systems would <br />be asbestos cement and concrete pressure pipes and would be buried to <br />aid in preservation of the scenery. Project drainage will be provided <br />for the Dove Creek and Towaoc areas. <br /> <br />Irrigation scheduling would be implemented on all full service land <br />to assure the application of the proper amount of water for a given <br />crop at the proper time. The ideal quantities and timing of the irri- <br />gation applications would be predicted from analyses of temperature, <br />precipitation, solar radiation, and local soil moisture and crop <br />characteristics. <br /> <br />Municipal and industrial water would be available from project <br />features to treatment facilities to be constructed by the water users. <br />The water users would provide facilities for distribution of the water. <br />The project reservoirs--McPhee, Monument Creek and Dawson Draw--and the <br />Totten Lake Dikes would provide new lake fisheries, waterfowl habitat <br />and significant water-oriented recreational opportunities. Basic <br />recreational facilities would be provided at each of the reservoirs. <br />Fishing and recreational opportunities would be improved at the <br />Narraguinnep, Totten and Ground Hog Reservoirs which now provide irri- <br />gation storage for the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company. The water <br />surfaces of these reservoirs would be stabilized as the functions of <br />the reservoirs for irrigation water storage would be largely shifted <br />. to McPhee Reservoir. <br /> <br />About 10 miles of a relatively poor stream fishery on the Dolores <br />River would be flooded by McPhee Reservoir. The stream fishery in the <br />river below the reservoir, however, would be greatly enhanced as a result <br />of project operations. The fishery would benefit from reservoir <br />releases made specifically for fish, from controlled spring reservoir <br />releases made in anticipation of spills, and from releases for down- <br />stream rights. As a result of the spring releases lUlde in .antiq,pattcm <br />of spills, white water boating would be maintained and in some aspects <br />improved. Good boating days could be grouped together and accurately <br />predicted, whereas the boating opportunities now are dependent on nature <br />and are unpredictable. <br /> <br />The Dolores Project Definite Plan Report is scheduled for completion <br />July, 1975. <br /> <br />-2- <br />