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<br />~ <br />\ <br /> <br />West Divide Aqueduct <br /> <br />The West Divide Water Conservancy District could utilize up <br />to 200 acre-feet of water annually from Owens Creek Reservoir for <br />well augmentation purposes. To accomplish this, a 13 mile <br />pipeline, generally following the old Buzzard Creek Road, would <br />be installed which would convey water from Owens Creek Reservoir <br />to East Road Gulch, a tributary of West Prong Alkali Creek on the <br />Rifle side of the divide. A properly installed 12 inch diameter <br />pipeline would carry approximately 2 cfs by gravity flow. The <br />capital cost of such an installation would be approximately <br />$500,000 or $2,500 per acr~-foot. <br /> <br />An alternative to the gravity pipeline would be a pump <br />system. Water released from Owens Creek Reservoir could be used <br />to power a turbine which would be used to turn a pump. This <br />would shorten the pipeline considerably as it could then be used <br />to convey water to the northeast from Owens Creek Reservoir and <br />_over the divide into the headwaters of Little Muddy Gulch. A 4 <br />mile long 12 inch diameter pipeline would be capable of conveying <br />up to 2 cfs. The capital cost for this type of installation <br />would be approximately $250,000 or $1,250 per acre-foot. <br /> <br />Conclusion/Recommendation <br /> <br />The Owens Creek Appraisal Level study was carried out in a <br />manner which accounted for the interests of the project sponsors. <br />The phase one cost estimate was based on a government type <br />contract and a reservoir which would impound 25,240 acre-feet of <br />water consisting of 22,010 acre-feet of active storage, 3,000 <br />acre-feet of inactive storage, and 230 acre-feet of dead storage. <br />The total estimated contract and non-contract cost was estimated <br />at $42.6 million. <br />Other scenarios were investigated including modified <br />operations studies which assumed perfect runoff forecasts, <br />adjusting the unit costs to be similar to those of the Wolford <br />Mountain Reservoir Project on Muddy Creek (adjusted unit costs <br />resulted in a total contract and non-contract cost of $34.79 <br />million), and rough cost estimates for smaller sized reservoirs. <br />The project sponsors are committed to further pursuit of the <br />Owens Creek Project but, in light of current developments <br />regarding the Collbran Project, round two Ruedi Reservoir water <br />sales, and the Recovery Implementation Program, it has been <br />deemed prudent to delay any phase II study work until the above <br />mentioned developments are finalized. This will allow time for <br />the sponsors to evaluate these developments as well as other <br />alternatives that may avail themselves and determine where the <br />Owens Creek Project might fit into the operation of the Colorado <br />River tributaries in Western Colorado. <br /> <br />12 <br />