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<br />I <br />'. <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I. <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I. <br />I <br /> <br />EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br /> <br />Description of tasks <br /> <br />Water Managements Consultants, Inc. (WMC) was contracted by the Orchard Mesa <br />Irrigation District (OMID) to perform a study of the Orchard Mesa Power Canal (Power <br />Canal). The study was funded in part by the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The <br />focus of this study was to address concerns associated with the operation of the Power <br />Canal. The concerns were grouped into three specific tasks to be addressed <br />individually. The tasks were developed as follows: <br /> <br />Task 1 - Orchard Mesa Power Canal Enlargement. The purpose of this section of the <br />study was to investigate the potential benefits and costs associated with enlarging the <br />Orchard Mesa Power Canal from an existing capacity of 800 cfs to its decreed capacity <br />of 860 cfs. <br /> <br />Task 2 - Orchard Mesa Power Canal Overtopping. The purpose of this section of the <br />study was to investigate canal overtopping problems along the portion of the Power <br />Canal that parallels Interstate 70 and to provide alternatives to remediate this problem. <br /> <br />Task 3 - Stokes Gulch Inverted Siphon Replacement. The purpose of this portion of <br />the study was to develop conceptual layouts and cost estimates for the replacement or <br />repair of the Stokes Gulch inverted siphon. <br /> <br />Results of Task 1- Orchard Mesa Power Canal enlargement <br /> <br />The cost of increasing the Power Canal capacity from 800 cfs to 860 cfs would be <br />approximately $1.8 million. A breakdown of the cost estimate for the preferred <br />alternative is included in Appendix A.1. <br /> <br />The only direct financial benefit that would be realized from Power Canal enlargement is <br />increased hydropower generation. With an additional 60 cfs of flow, the hydropower <br />generation station would be able to generate approximately 1.7 million additional <br />kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. No direct benefit would be realized by OMID <br />through increased crop production as Orchard Mesa Canals #1 and #2 are operating at <br />their maximum decreed flows. <br /> <br />2616-R1 <br /> <br />Orchard Mesa Irrigation District <br /> <br />Water Management Consultants <br />