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<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 />I <br />I <br /> <br />Feasibility Study <br />Overland Ditch and Reservoir Company <br />Overland Reservoir Restoration <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION: <br /> <br />Background: <br /> <br />The Overland Fteservoir is located approximately 15 air miles north ofPaonia, in Delta County, <br />Colorado as shown on the location map included in Appendix F. The dam is situated at about <br />elevation 9,900 ft msl. The reservoir is operated by the Overland Ditch and Fteservoir Company <br />(ODFtC) for the benefit of the shareholders by providing irrigation water from storage throughout the <br />irrigation season. Water is transported from the reservoir to irrigated land in the Ftedlands Mesa and <br />Ftogers Mesa areas located north and northwest of Lazear (see facilities map and service area map in <br />Appendix F), Colorado by means of about 28 miles of combined stream channels and transmission <br />ditches. <br /> <br />The Overland Dam was originally constructed in 1905 and was enlarged several times between 1905 <br />and 1950 to a maximum capacity of6,120 acre-feet. In 1957, a section of the main Overland Dam <br />exhibited signs of distress (craclcing, subsidence and slope movement). The storage was <br />subsequently restricted by the Colorado State Engineer's Office. In 1986 and 1987, the main dam <br />was rehabilitated and the spillway was rebuilt and enlarged in confoIlIlance with Colorado dam safety <br />regulations. The rehabilitation costs were funded by a combination of CWCB loan and U.S. Bureau <br />ofFteclamation (USBFt) loan Small Projects loan. The storage capacity of the reservoir after <br />rehabilitation was 5,828 acre-feet. This left 292 acre-feet of the previous absolute storage decree un- <br />restored as well as an additional conditional decree of about 1,051 acre-feet that could not be stored. <br />The rehabilitation design included provisions to accommodate future restoration projects that would <br />allow storage of the full complement of water rights. However, funds were not available at that time <br />to allow for the needed additional construction work In 1987 the ODFtC was able to buyout the <br />USBFt Small Projects loan at a significantly discounted amount. This was made possible by a second <br />loan from CWCB. A side benefit of doing so was that dam safety jurisdiction was transferred from <br />the USBFt to the Colorado State Engineer. The effect was that minimum flood surcharge <br />requirements were reduced which allowed increasing of the nOIlIlal water storage level by 1.5 feet <br />and provided for storing the remaining 292 acre-feet of the absolute storage right along with 80 acre- <br />feet of the conditional storage right for a total volume of6,200 acre-feet. The construction to allow <br />that additional storage was completed in 1991. <br /> <br />Need for the Project: <br /> <br />There is a need for supplemental irrigation water in the ODFtC service area. The ability to store the <br />remaining 971 acre-feet of conditional storage rights would help meet this need. In addition, there <br />have been numerous expressions of need for augmentation water for both existing and proposed <br />domestic, commercial and industrial facilities. Because of its location and elevation, Overland <br />Fteservoir is in a unique position to supply augmentation water to a large area in the region of the <br />North Forlc of the Gunnison River. In the intervening years since the last spillway modifications in <br /> <br />I <br />