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Dolores Project <br />McPhee Dam was completed in 1984 near the town of Dolores, Colorado, and impounds about <br />381,000 AF (229,000 AF of active storage) for irrigation, muiucipal and industrial water supply, <br />hydroelectric generation, recreation, fish and wildlife enhancement, and flood control (U.S. <br />Bureau of Reclamation 2001). McPhee Dam and Reservoir attenuate peak flows and augment <br />base flows. <br />The Dolores Project was built to provide muiucipal and industrial water supply and supplemental <br />and full-service irrigation water to the lands from the Dove Creek area in the north and south to <br />the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The Project also stores water for the fishery downstream of <br />McPhee Reservoir on the Dolores River. Prior to the Project, the Dolores River was often dry in <br />late summer and fall. The fishery downstream of McPhee Dam was created by the Project as a <br />result of the releases from the Fishery Pool. <br />Dolores River Watershed <br />The Dolores River watershed encompasses approximately 4,620 square miles in southwestern <br />Colorado and southeastern Utah. Most of the lands within the watershed are owned by the U.S. <br />Bureau of Land Management or the U. S. Forest Service. <br />Total discharge from the Dolores River into the Colorado River is approximately 544,000 of/yr <br />(Pontius, 1997). Peak flows are highly variable with a 50-year high of 17,400 cfs (1958) and low <br />of 1,260 cfs. The San Miguel River is the only sigiuficant tributary to the Dolores downstream <br />from McPhee Darn (Roelnn, 2001). Historic flow recommendations can be found in Appendix C. <br /> 91393133: <br />~S. Rh:~[ (~' <br />_ '9915559,7 <br />594;) 171 131915 - <br />93331912; <br />554 <br />339,9381 <br />r-' 15,9131921 - <br /> 9;3~2593 X92 <br /> y.~. <br />e_ R,yn, ~ <br />5915873 5313199 ~ - <br />533932553 (5 <br />y ~~ <br />1432 <br />14539- <br />~gontar_rn -9~13195~ - <br />79155177 5429 933931985 ;29 147 19 e181 <br /> <br /> <br />a_.R. xm r, ~. <br />~ Vk :79159557 <br /> <br />4949 17311917 - <br />9135132?: <br />83 H18r 1 - <br />51932773: i.3 <br />y., , <br /> <br />2924 e54,5791 <br />289.8352 <br />r347,5'S , <br />227,185"• <br /> 83131954 - <br />1 <br />-0i <br />I Q 533 ~ 1952: <br />, <br />7u _ <br />;79177777 577 1731319'3- 1493 252,2591 <br />~ 9%3]31753;;35 <br /> rf <br />~a. Rivas ~,. <br />9179577 <br />~~ y <br />4548 _ 17.11935- - <br />9~3~1954 ;18 <br /> <br />i ~?' <br />4347 <br />59'278 <br />r~S. R. 'r.~~ ^~. <br /> <br />7318777 <br />r <br /> <br />4155 12/131957 - <br /> <br />93332703;53 <br /> <br />4587 571.4532 <br /> <br />;559;7333 <br /> y rs 575,739; <br />Figure 3 (Data provided by CDOW) <br />7 <br />