10825 Water Supply Alternative Summary Phase 2 Assessment January 2008 Draft

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8.0 MOST PROMISING ALTERNATIVES The following six alternatives have been preliminarily determined to be feasible, and to best meet the objectives and the evaluation criteria of the 10825 Water Supply Assessment: • Ruedi Reservoir (Alternative A) • Sulphur Gulch Reservoir (Alternative B) • Sulphur Gulch & Ruedi Reservoirs (Alternative C1) • Lake Granby & Ruedi Reservoirs (Alternative C7) • Lake Granby, Ruedi Reservoir and OMID Improvements (Alternative C8) • Lake Granby & Sulphur Gulch Reservoirs (Alternative C9) Each of these alternatives is briefly summarized below. The alternatives all satisfy the primary study objectives of providing 10,825 acre feet of water without impairing the yield of water users. The evaluation criteria include secondary objectives regarding impacts to headwater streams, and regarding stakeholder consensus. Some of the most promising alternatives outlined below meet these secondary objectives better than others. 8.1 RUEDI RESERVOIR (Alternative A) This alternative would release 10,825 acre -feet from the existing Ruedi Reservoir in all years. This non - structural alternative uses a single existing facility, and avoids environmental impacts associated with new reservoir construction. This option satisfies the primary objectives of the 10825 Water Supply Study. Secondary objectives of the study are not completely satisfied this alternative. Releases from Ruedi Reservoir do not provide any benefits to the Colorado River below Lake Granby. In future years when contract water releases from Ruedi Reservoir increase, the concurrent release of 10825 Water from the reservoir will cause incremental negative impacts to recreation use and aquatic conditions of the Fryingpan River. However, even with ALL of the 10825 Water released from Ruedi Reservoir, the Fryingpan River will continue to be an excellent fishery resource. With the release of 10825 acre feet of Recovery Program water, the Fryingpan River may be slightly more difficult to access for several weeks each summer. This alternative does not significantly alter aquatic conditions of the Roaring Fork River below Basalt. Releases from Ruedi Reservoir, as analyzed in this study, would typically occur prior to September 1s` in order to complement late summer Recovery Program releases from the Green Mountain Reservoir HUP surplus and from the Wolford Mountain Reservoir fish pool. With the 10825 %later Supply Study Phan; 2 Alternatives Assessment. January 2008 Draft 16