PUB00032

• Year: 1994
• Title: Small Dam Site Reconnaissance Study - Final Report of Findings
• CWCB Section: Finance
• Author: Harris Water Engineering, Inc.
• Description: Identify and evaluate dam sites at a recon leval, dam sites to fill a need for raw water storage
• Publications - Doc Type: Tech Report

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SMALL DAM SITE RECONNAISSANCE STUDY

COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

This report describes the results of the "Small Dam Site
Reconnaissance Study" (Study) performed by Harris Water
Engineering, Inc. (HWE), for the Colorado Water Conservation Board
(CWCB). The work began on September 1, 1993 and was completed on
February 15, 1993.

The broad philosophy of the Study is that Colorado is lagging
behind downstream states in the utilization of allocated water
supplies, which is especially true in the Colorado River basin.
Given the difficulty of constructing large dams in today's social
and environmental climate, the philosophy of constructing small
dams is to minimize potential social and environmental problems
while increasing the utilization of Colorado's water supplies, a
little at a time. A baseball analogy would be to "hit a lot of
singles to score runs rather than waiting for a home run".

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The purpose of the Study is to identify and evaluate, at a
reconnaissance level, dam sites where there is a real need for raw
water storage. The sites may include the construction of a new
dam, reconstruction of a dam that is currently breached, or
enlargement of an existing dam. The Study includes recommendations
on how to develop those sites which appear to have repayment
capability. The CWCB will work with the respective sponsoring
entities to attempt to develop a loan financing package, through
the CWCB Construction Fund.

A related purpose of the study is to assist smaller water entities,
who do not have adequate staff, to perform the initial technical
and cost evaluations to determine if their dam site is feasible.
The smaller water entities typically have a system operator who
have ideas on how to increase the water supply through storage, but
do not have the resources nor time to make the necessary
evaluations. Most of the sites included in the Study involve small
irrigation companies, small water conservancy districts, or small
towns.

The Study included five distinct tasks, which are listed below.

1. Canvas Water Users to Identify Potential Sites
2. Site Inspection of Most Sites
3. Prepare Reconnaissance Level Design Reports and
Recommendations for Each Site
4. Design Reports and Recommendation Review
5. Finalize Designs Reports and Recommendations

Small Dam Site Recon. Study 1