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J(ny ?OOJ Suiiuuail' o/ Pntentiol Rr.rrlrair.Siler nt Ibr C pper 1amiru ILrer' Orurita,,,P ? ' <br />Yampa River Basin Alternatives Feasibili?ty Study <br />In 1993 che CR%X'CD, Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Bureau of Reclamation retained <br />H`•drosphere Resource Consultants to complete the Yampu River Bu.rirt Alternatrre.r Fearibility Staldy <br />(Hy-drosphere, 1993). One of the objeccives of this study was "to identify altcrnative reservoir sites <br />and operating scrategies for the Lpper Yampa River basin that can meet the long term water supply <br />and economic nceds of the area ..." For purposes of chis scudy reservoir sites in escess of 10,000- <br />acre feet were evaluated. <br />Eight larger reservoir sites, or enlargements of esisting projects, were identitied in the Upper Y"ampa <br />River Basin in the Yarrrpa River Ba.rin Alternatiue.r Fea.ribility Staedy. Reservoir sites in the Upper Y'ampa <br />River Basin evaluated by Hydrosphere are summarized in Table 2, Upper Yarrrpa Rtber Re.ren?alr Site.c <br />ftozrr :=llternutive.r Feuribility Study. <br />TABLE 2 <br />UPPER YAMPA RiVER RESERVOIR SITES FROM ALTERNATIVES FEASiBILITY STUDY <br />Stream neservoir Name <br />Yampa River (Mainstem) Stillwater Reservoir <br />Yampa River (Mainstem) Yamcolo Reservoir <br />Yampa River (Mainstem) Stagecoach Reservoir <br />Morrison Creek Morrison Creek <br />Service Creek Service Creek <br />Green Creek Lower Green Creek <br />Yampa River (Mainstem) Lake Catamount <br />Walton Creek Walton Creek <br />The ' Morrison Creek reservoiz site was identified as an alternative in both studies and could be sized <br />to meet awide range of water management needs. <br />Other Sites <br />As we observed during our recent field visit, there are several other reservoir sites in the Upper <br />Yampa River drainage that were not included in previous studies. There are nvo off-channel storage <br />reservoirs that we visited. The first site is located in Sec. 10, T2N, R85W and approYimatety one- <br />third mile west of the city of Yampa. This storage reservoir could potentially be filled with water <br />from the Yampa River via the Bird Ditch or from Watson Creek via a feeder channel. The other off- <br />channel storage reservoir site is located south of Yampa near the confluence of Brinker and Chimne}' <br />Creeks in Sections 26 and 35, T2N, R85W. <br />Another reservoir site, that spring conditions prevented us from visiting, is locaced between Bear <br />Lake and Stillwater Reservoir on the mainstem of the Bear River. This reservoir site has the potential <br />to store several thousand acre-feet of water. <br />Conclusion <br />While no analysis of water rights or basin yield for these reservoir sites has been made with respect to <br />the Recreational In Channel Diversion (RICD) water rights thac the city of Steamboat Springs has <br />applied for, anv wacer rights to be used for filling these reservoirs would be junioc to any RICD water <br />rights decreed. <br />References <br />Hydrosphere. 1993. Ycrmpa River Barin A/ternatiues Fea.ribilrty Stirdy - Final Repart, March. <br />ti[ontgomery- Watson, 2000a. Y anrpa River Ba.rin .Small Re.rervoir Stirdy, February. <br />Montgomery Wacson, ZOOOb. I''ampa Rirer Bu.;in Snra!l Re.rervoir,Study Piiase 2 fteport, August. <br />? ;,;?