BOARDSEP03

• Board Meeting Date: 9/22/2003
• Description: Petition to Enforce the Provisions of the Blue River Decree
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Other

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SYNOPSIS OF REPORT, COLORADO-BIG THOMPSON
PROJECT

OUTLINE OF CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATING CONDITIONS

The Colorado-Big Thompson project in Colorado contemplates the
diversion of surplus waters from the headwaters of the Colorado River
on the Pacific or western slope to lands in northeastern Colorado on
the Atlantic or eastern slope greatly in need of supplemental irrigation
water. . . .
To accomplish this diversion, the following features are required:

ON COLORADO RIVER

(1) Storage on the Blue River in what is called Green Mountain
Reservoir located about 16 miles southeast of Kremmling, Colo.,
where the Blue enters the Oolorado River. This reservoir is to be
used to replace water diverted to the eastern slope that would be
required by prior rights along the Oolorado River.
(2) A hydroelectric plant below the Green Mountain Dam to
utilize the flow of the Blue River and water stored in the reservoir for
the generation of electrical energy.
(3) A storage reservoir located on the Oolorado River about 6
miles northeast of Granby, Colo., to be known as Granby Reservoir.
This reservoir will store the flow of the Colorado at this point as well
as water diverted from Willow Oreek, a tributary of the Colorado and
Strawberry and Meadow Creeks, tributaries of the Fraser River.
(4) A diversion dam located about one-half mile below the junction
of the North Fork and Grand Lake outlet and about 3 miles south of
the village of Grand Lake. This dam will create a lake known as
Shadow Mountain Lake which will have the same elevation as Grand
Lake and will aid in supplying the transmountain diversion tunnel
with water pumped from Granby Reservoir. This lake together with
Grand Lake is to be kept at nearly constant level.
(5) An electrically driven pumping plant on the shore of Granby
Reservoir, where water will be pumped into a canal feeding Shadow
Mountain and Grand Lakes. The length of the canal is 4}~ miles.
(6) An outlet channel at the east end of Grand Lake connecting
the lake with the portal of a transmountain diversion tunnel and
provided with control features that will regulate the level of Grand
Lake within a fluctuating range of 1 foot. .
(7) A transmountain diversion tunnel under the Continental
Divide 13.1 miles in length extending from Grand Lake to a point in
Wind River about 5 miles southwest of Estes Park village.

ON EASTERN SLOPE

(8) A conduit 5.3 miles in length extending from diversion tunnel
outlet to penstock of a power plant on the Big Thompson River just
below Estes Park village. This conduit will be made up of buried

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