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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />II <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />1. INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />This introduction provides general background and an overview of procedures for a <br /> <br />study of physically and legally available stream flows at several locations in the <br /> <br /> <br />Rio Grande Basin within Colorado. In addition, the selection of the sites for the <br /> <br /> <br />available flow investigations are described. <br /> <br />1.1 BACKGROUND <br /> <br />Since the late 1800's, water users in the Rio Grande Basin within Colorado have <br /> <br />expressed a desire for additional regulatory storage. Major studies of potential <br /> <br /> <br />regulatory storage upstream of the town of Del Norte were conducted in 1938, 1939 <br /> <br />and 1955 (NRC, 1938; Tipton, 1939; USBR, 1955). Significant developments in the <br /> <br /> <br />water supply and use of the Rio Grande in recent years such as construction of the <br /> <br />Closed Basin Proj ect and el imination of Colorado's pre-1985 Compact debit have <br /> <br /> <br />prompted this investigation of the volume of water which may be storable at several <br /> <br /> <br />potential reservoir sites. <br /> <br />The objective of the study is to estimate the legally and physically available flow <br /> <br />at four potential storage sites in the Rio Grande Basin upstream of the town of Del <br /> <br />Norte, Colorado. The storable flow determination is one component of a <br /> <br /> <br />reconnaissance level study for a potential reservoir. The present study does not <br /> <br /> <br />include water demand analyses, reservoir sizing and operation, geologic and <br /> <br />geotechnical investigations, or economic analyses. Such analyses might be included <br /> <br /> <br />in future reconnaissance studies should the present study indicate that significant <br /> <br />amounts of storable water are available at one or more of the potential reservoir <br /> <br /> <br />sites. This Phase I study has been performed in such a manner as to allow <br /> <br />incorporation of study products (including the computer modeling) in future studies. <br /> <br />While this study focuses on the mainstem of the Rio Grande within Colorado, other <br /> <br /> <br />water systems, such as the Closed Basin Project and the Rio Grande Project, which <br /> <br /> <br />would significantly influence water availability at a potential reservoir site were <br /> <br /> <br />considered in the study. <br /> <br />1 <br />