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<br />The Conservation Master Plan is an ever-evolving document. As new ideas are <br />developed which meet the criteria, they will be added. Existing ideas that have been fully <br />implemented or are deemed no longer viable will be deleted. The entire Master Plan will be <br />thoroughly re-evaluated at least every five years. Major changes to the Master Plan shall be <br />provided to the public in draft form and opportunity to comment on such changes shall also be <br />provided, before adoption of such changes. <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />HISTORY <br /> <br />In the late 1940' s, the Bureau of Reclamation commissioned a study to determine if the water on <br />top of the Grand Mesa in Western Colorado could be utilized for municipal, irrigation and industrial <br />needs in the Grand Valley. In 1952, Congress authorized the Collbran Project which was to include 17 <br />lakes and reseIVoirs on the Grand Mesa, Vega ReseIVoir, two hydroelectric power plants, and 18 miles of <br />pipeline and penstocks. <br /> <br />The Ute Water ConseIVancy District was created on April 4, 1956, by decree of the Mesa County <br />District Court. The District filed for and received a 20 cfs water right on the Lower Molina Power Plant <br />tailrace water and entered into a contract to rent a diversion structure at the Lower Molina Power Plant to <br />divert water at the lailrace to serve the rural and mbanizing areas of the Grand Valley. The District also <br />applied for and received a 30 cfs water right on Plateau Creek. The District proceeded to issue bonds for <br />$9.2 million and began building Jeny Creek ReseIVoir # I, an 18 mile pipeline down Plateau Canyon, a <br />1/2 mile long tunnel at the mouth of the canyon for the pipeline and a 4 million-gallon-per day (MGD) <br />~~l11l~ntP~an~ ~~~o!P~~sa~<::.~h:_~i:t_ric~~e~an ~iQ1 ~,~~~ lllI'~ ancl. t!JeJi~tc!o.!ll~~t!c_W!!tmYl!S_~. - -. <br />served in December, 1964. In 1976 and again in 1985, the treatment plant was expanded to seIVe the <br />growing demand for domestic water. During the last enlargement to 22 MGD, the infrastructure was <br />installed to allow expansion to 42 MGD as the population increases. <br /> <br />Currently, the District serves slightly over 21,000 users, representing an estimated population of <br />55,000. All seIVices are metered. The high day demand in 1995 reached 12 MGD. The District has just <br />completed rehabilitation of its Colorado River Pump Station which is used for emergency andlor <br />supplemental water from the Colorado Rivef. The District has also completed a 10 MG finished water <br /> <br />8 <br />