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i. , i Rocky Mountain News - Denver and Colorado's reliable source for breaking news, sports ,.. Page 1 of2 NEWS Rocky Mountain News.com Advertisement HOME.NEWS.LOCAL - {~l Chatfield Reservoir plan delayed at least four years Subscribe I E-mail alerts I Bectronic edition I RSS Advertisement By Jerd Smith, Rocky Mountain News July 21, 2007 Federal budget cuts, post-Katrina concerns cited A plan to store more water at Chatfield Reservoir has been delayed at least four years, bogged down by federal budget cuts and Hurricane Katrina-related dam concerns, Colorado water officials say. The delay means that fast- growing communities such as Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock and Aurora, as well as water- strapped plains farmers, will have to wait longer to receive much-needed space to store water. Officials had hoped that a critical federal decision on feasibility - Chatfield was built by the U.S. Corps of Engineers - would come this year, allowing them to begin storing water at the recreation area as early as next year. Now it is likely to be 2012 or 2013 before the 20,600 acre feet of new storage is available, said Tom Browning, who is overseeing the project for the Colorado Water Conservation Board. . Wood Travel . Lasik 000_ eye surgery > Cash Advance > 000_ Real Estate > Juarez Mexico Guide > Compare Pnces > Telecommunications Expense > Free Ontine Dating > Fundraisels > AItomey Finder > Online Shopping > Whole House Fans > Ungerie > Pelsonal Loan > Direct Mailing LislS > Colorado Real Estate > Juarez Mexico Forum George Kochaniec,Jr. @The Rocky Officials had hoped to begin storing water at Chatfield Reservoir as early as next year. To date. $3_4 million has been spent to study the effects on the environment and recreation. Advertisement STORY TOOLS Emaillhis story I Pnnt MAP MY NEWS ~ MORE STORIES 'It's a significant delay,' Browning said. Water users have put $721,000 into the stUdy efforl and will pay about $100 million if the project is approved. 'But there is still a tremendous amount of support for the project." Conceived in 1999, the idea was to make the flood-<:ontrol reservoir work a bit harder. shrinking slightly the amount of space needed to capture floodwaters and using it instead to store urban and agricultural water. It was seen as a low-<:ost way to create storage without the environmental damage that new reservoirs can cause. After the drought began in 2002 and water shortages began appearing along the Front Range. the project shifted into high.gear. To date, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Corps of Engineers have spent $3.4 million to study the potential effects on the environment and recreation. Now the tab is likely to push past the $4 million mark. Originally. $2 million was expected to be spent on the studies, Browning said. Last year, the federal money that had been earmarked to help fund the studies was cut in half. "You never know everything up front," said Eric Laux, who is managing the project for the Corps. "And you don't always get the appropriations that you need to keep everything on track. You do the best that you can." Browning said that after Hurricane Katrina, competition for federal dollars to conduct studies increased sharply, as did the Corps' concerns that any unexplored flood dangers be closely examined. "I've been concemed that the process is taking so long," said Tom Cech, who represents some of the water-strapped farmers who hope to store water in the reservoir. "But the Corps has to be very diligent. "They've never done this with a flood-<:ontrol reservoir in a major metropolitan area. "This is an innovative process, and that's been part of the problem." Highlands Ranch has contracted for the largest amount of storage space in the project. http://www.rockymountainnews.comldrmn/local/artic1e/0.1299.DRMN_15_5639388.00.ht... 7/2312007