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(revised) <br />October 11, 2002 <br />Summary description of <br />CENTRAL COLORADO PROJECT <br />(Originally known as Union Park Project) <br />A superior water supply alternative for Colorado's <br />drought, growth, and environmental needs <br />General Concept The Central Colorado Project (CCP) is an advanced pumped <br />storage water conservation alternative that can efficiently satisfy most of Colorado's <br />drought, growth, and environmental needs throughout the new millennium. During <br />heavv snowmelt years, CCP will pump some of Colorado's surplus Colorado River <br />Compact entitlements into a high altitude, off - river, Upper Gunnison reservoir site <br />called Union Park. Up to 1.2 million acre -feet of these conserved headwaters will then <br />be available for managed delivery via gravity systems throughout Colorado's five <br />major river basins, when and where needed, during destructive drought cycles. <br />Unprecedented Productivity Most low - altitude conventional dams on Western rivers <br />were built with expected benefit -cost ratios of about 2 to 1 during their 20 to 30 year <br />funding payback periods. CCP's expected benefit -cost ratios from managed drought <br />protection of Colorado's Taylor, East, Gunnison, Colorado, South Platte, Arkansas, <br />and Rio Grande River Basins may be as high as 10 to 1. Such storage productivity is <br />unprecedented within the water supply industry. <br />Unique Storage Site Union Park is probably the only large reservoir site in the world <br />that can be filled with high quality snowmelt for flexible gravity delivery to five major <br />river basins, when needed during variable drought conditions. <br />Availability of Storage Site Union Park is located off -river within the Gunnison <br />National Forest at 10,000 feet altitude. This glacier - carved, sage- covered bowl with an <br />ideal dam site is about one mile south of the Bureau of Reclamation's existing Taylor <br />Park Reservoir at 9,000 feet. The Natural Energy Resources Company (NECO) has a <br />conditional Colorado water right (82CW340) to store 325,000 acre -feet in Union Park <br />for generation of high value peaking power between these reservoirs. This pumped <br />storage decree also has detailed river regulation requirements that will help optimize <br />Taylor, Gunnison, and Colorado River flows during extreme flood and drought <br />conditions. <br />