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<br />.. <br /> <br />Usually design criteria provides the technical criteria that would be expected to be necessary to <br />design the control structures such as river forces, depths, velocities, flood flows, and other <br />hydraulic parameters. The REP report includes none: of this tecrmical criteria, yet they have <br />selected flows. Having "great play spots" is not technical criteria that can be used to develop a <br />design. The REP Report does not provide design criteria to determine if the structures will meet <br />the minimum flow necessary for a reasonable recreation experience nor is technical criteria <br />described with which to design the structures for any flow. <br /> <br />SECTION 2.B. STRUCTURE DESIGN <br />The REP Report (pages 20 - 33) provides a general description and sketch of the "u" structures <br />that are to be constructed in Durango's Animas River Boating Park to provide the ability to <br />control, capture, and divert Animas River flows. The U-Structures are required to concentrate <br />the minimum flow necessary to provide a reasonable recreation experience as the basis for the <br />water right application. <br /> <br />The REP Report fails to provide a design to justify that a U-Structure will only provide the <br />minimum flow necessary for a reasonable recreation experience. The only design parameters in <br />the REP Report concerns depth of flow calculations (page 28 to 33) but even that data is <br />qualified by the following sentences: <br /> <br />"One of the most important variables that is controlled is depth. The depth is <br />described by the Weir Equation." <br /> <br />"Note that this equation is an approximation and does not represent an exact <br />relationship." <br /> <br />"At this preliminary stage of the design the W'eir Equation can be used to give <br />general indication of the shapes for the structure:s." <br /> <br />Therefore, even for the depth of flow which is the only technical ~malysis included in the REP <br />Report, the design is stated to be preliminary and general in natun:. The only flow parameter <br />presented is the maximum flow of water that can be controlled of 1,400 cfs at the upper / <br />structures (page 29) and 1,800 cfs at the lower structures (page 31), not the minimum flow <br />necessary. <br /> <br />The design criteria does not provide the technical information necessary to prepare a design and <br />as a result a structure design is not provided in the REP Report but a general description of what <br />the structures may look like. <br /> <br />Further, based on the flexible and non-technical design criteria it appears the design of the U- <br />Structures could be modified significantly, the flow reduced, and still provide the desired <br />boating experience described by the design criteria. Therefore, it also appears that these <br />structures could be designed to use much less flow than is included in the water rights <br />application to provide the minimum flow necessary for a reasonable recreation experience. <br />