7620

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7620
• Author: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
• Title: Taylor Draw Reservoir Project Environmental Impact Statement
• USFW Year: 1982.
• USFW - Doc Type: Draft.
• Copyright Material: NO

Y I
1.0 THE PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSAL.
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1 .1 .1 The Na tiona L Envi ronmenta L Po li cy Act of 1 969 [Pub li c Law
` 91-190, 1970) requires the preparation of an Envi rpnmental Impact
Statement [EIS) whenever a major Federal Action will have a
significant effect on the envi ronment. The Department of the Army,
Corps of Engineers [COE) has prepared this document in response to en
application for a permit filed in eccardance with Section 404 of the
,~ Clean Water Act [33 U.S.C. 1344) by the Water Users Assciation No.1 on
-- July 10, 1980. Section 404 requires a permit prior to placing dredged
or fill material in waters of the United States. The applicant
proposes to construct a .reinforced ea~th fill dam utilizing
approxi metely 265,700 cubi c yards [ 203.140m ) of material . The dam
would be located upstream from the confluence of Taylor Draw on the
White River approximately 5 mi lea [8 km) east of the town of Rangely,
Rio Blanco County, Colorado. [Figure 1-1)
1.2 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSAL
1.2.1 The Water Users Association No. 1. a subdistrict of the
Colorado River Water Conservation District, currently ~o~sesses a
water right for storage of 13,800 acre-feet [AF) [17x10 m ) on the
White River_at the Taylor Draw site. The Colorado River Water
Conservation District (CRWCD) was created by the Colorado. General
Assembly in 1937 to safeguard, conserve, and put to beneficial
consumptive use water apportioned to the State of Colorado by the
Colorado River Compact of 1922 and the Upper Colorado River Basin
Compact of 1948. Water Users Association No. 1 was established by
court decree on November 7. 1977 and encompasses land and real
property in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The CRWCD has the authority
of eminent domain that can be exercised on behalf of a project to be
financed by Water Users Association No. 1. The CRWCD may also issue
general obligation bonds in the name of the subdistrict to finance a
project.
1.2.2 The basic purpose of the Taylor Draw Reservoir is to provide a
dependable municipal and industrial water supply to the growing town
of Rangely and provide needed flood control and recreation.
1.2.3 Current population estimates project the present population of
the town of Rangely to increase 1.5 to 3 fold during the twenty year
planning period ending in the year 2000.[4) During the severe drought
of 1977 the town of Rangely experienced a shortage of domestic water.
The town of Rangely hopes to insure a dependable water supply through
the construction of a dam end reservoi r. The surrounding area is the
focus of ,energy related development, and rapid growth is expected as
resources are developed. Development of these resources will require
a dependable industrial water supply.
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