ArkansasComments24

• Basin: Arkansas
• Title: Comments 24
• Date: 2/2/2004
• SWSI - Doc Type: Comments

Union Park High Altitude Pumped~Storage Proposal

Mvth Since EPA vetoed Two Forks Dam, a few influential local and CDNR leaders
have claimed Union Park's high, off-river, storage project is another destructive east slope
water grab, with no redeeming economic or environmental values.

Realitv Union Park is an unprecedented, multi-purpose water and power project that
can provide low-cost drought and growth needs for urban, rural, and environmental
stakeholders throughout Colorado's Gunnison, Colorado, South Platte, Arkansas, and Rio
Grande River Basins. During wet years, Union Park's reversible pump-generators will fill
Union Park from the Bureau of Reclamation's existing Taylor Park and Blue Mesa
Reservoirs. These conserved flood waters will then be available for flexible gravity
distribution, when and where needed, during the destructive and variable multi-year droughts.

The Bureau's unused 300,000 acre-feet Aspinall Pool was authorized by Congress in 1957
for subsequent purchase and development by Upper Gunnison and Colorado stakeholders
for statewide needs. Union Park can store up to 1.2 million acre-feet of Colorado's unused
and overlooked Aspinall Pool water rights. This storage will assure at least four years of
extremely valuable drought and growth insurance for both slopes. Colorado's currently
untapped Upper Gunnison Basin of origin would receive 240,000 acre-feet of free
compensatory storage to protect and enhance its irrigated farms and recreation economy.
The pumped-storage power costs to fill Union Park during low demand spring runoff months
will be off-set by the project's high value peaking power revenues from the Western power
grid during the high energy-consuming summer, fall, and winter months.

Union Park is potentially the world's most productive water conservation and management
system. This pilot pumped-storage project for responsive, high quality, water and power
supplies throughout five major river basins is unique throughout the West. Most traditional
Western river dams were built with maximum 2 to 1 benefit-cost expectations. Animas-La
Platta's current benefit-cost ratio is only about 1 to 1. Union Park's multi-purpose capabilities
for five Southwestern river basins creates benefit-cost expectations in the 10 to 1 range.

Union Park's off-river storage site also avoids the serious environmental problems associated
with traditional Western river dams. When Union Park's construction bonds (four phases
totaling about 2.5 billion dollars) are repaid, Colorado and Southwestern cities, farms, and
environments will have nearly free water and power supplies throughout the new millennium.

All Colorado stakeholders should immediately unite behind an emergency program to
develop Colorado's Union Park and Gunnison water oversights for statewide drought and
growth needs.

Dave Miller ~
Independent Water Planner
P. O. Box 567, Palmer Lake, CO 80133
[phone], Fax [phone]