7397

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7397
• Author: Resource Consultants, I.
• Title: Draft Supplement to the Final Environmental Statement Colorado-Big Thompson, Windy Gap Projects Water Marketing Program for Green Mountain Reservoir, Colorado.
• USFW Year: 1985.
• USFW - Doc Type: Fort Collins.
• Copyright Material: NO

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

2.1. Introduction

This chapter presents the alternatives evaluated in the NEPA compliance
process, including those eliminated from detailed study. First, the four
alt~rnatives considered in detail are discussed (Section 2.2). Then, the
altexnatives eliminated from detailed consideration are discussed and the
reasons for their elimination are given (Section 2.3). The impacts asso-
ciated with the reasonab]e alternatives as identified in the Environmental
Consequences chapter are summarized in Section 2.4.

Because the distribution of the requests for Green Mountain water both
geographically and by category of demand is central to the analysis of the
alternatives, a summary of these requests is presented below in Table 2.1.
Table 1.1 provides an overview of the water request total quantities, and
Appendix A tabulates the requests in detail. The quantities of water
requested represent depletions to the associated stream system, where a
depletion is the amount of water diverted less the magnitude of return
flows to the river system. Considering the magnitude of return flows for
such uses as municipal, irrigation, and snowmaking, the amount of water
diverted can be as much as 10 times (or more) the amount depleted.

Green Mountain Reservoir is strategically located as a source of water
for augmentation purposes. The reservoir is located geographically above
the two major senior downstream water rights that effectively control the
administration of the Colorado River upstream of the confluence of the
Colorado River and Gunnison River. These two major water rights are the
Shoshone Power Plant located in Glenwood Canyon and operated by Public
Service Company of Colorado, and a number of Grand Valley irrigation water
rights, collectively referred to as the Cameo call. The Shoshone Power
Plant haE> a water right with an appropriation date of 1903 for 1250 ds.
The Cameo call is made up of a number of different water rights all with
senior appropriation dates (before 1920). The total volume of their call
is approximately 2,200 cfs.

In general, Green Mountain water releases are used to replace water
diversions when one of these senior water rights is placing a call on the
river. However, this situation must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

2-1