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<br />GRAND.:MESA
<br />
<br />Location:
<br />West-central Colorado between Cedaredge and
<br />Hotchkiss in Delta County; In the Gunnison River Basin. a
<br />part of th,e UPl'9r Colorado River Basin.
<br />Sponsors:
<br />Grand Mesa Water ConserVancy District, North .Fork
<br />Water Conservancy District.
<br />Primary PurpoSe of the Project
<br />Irrigation. municipal and industrial water,
<br />Secondary Benefits:
<br />Fish and wildlife; recreation. .
<br />
<br />History and Background:
<br />
<br />Feasibility studies were authorized by the Colorado River
<br />Storage Project Act of 1956. and were begun in 1964. The
<br />stud Ies led to a plan for two reservoirs: the Electric
<br />Mountain Reservoir on West Muddy Creek and the Cactus
<br />, Park Reservoir on Cactus Creek. The two _rvoirs would
<br />'be connected by 43-mile long Grand Mesa Canal, As the
<br />studies neared completion In 1973, the Water Resource
<br />. ,Council completed Its Principals and Standards for plan-
<br />ning water and related land rlIsOurces, Plans for the Grand
<br />Mesa project did not meet those guidelines, In 1973, the
<br />Bureau of Reclamation suspended' the studies and
<br />published a Concluding Report, which preserved the
<br />information which had already been collected,
<br />
<br />In 1975. the sponsoring districts requeste<lthatstudlesbe '
<br />
<br />resumed because there was an i11creasing need for
<br />industrial and domestic water, given additional coal
<br />production and a growing population In the project area,
<br />In 19n. Congress appropriated money forfurther st~ of
<br />. Grand Mesa. A multi-objective planning team recon~
<br />sidered the original plans and found them to be unfeasible
<br />given inflated construction costs and environmental con-
<br />cerns. With the concurrence of, the sponsoring districts,
<br />the planning team recom mended enlarging ,the
<br />Fruitgrowers Reservoir, Much less land would ,receive
<br />irrigation water under this plan. Th~pumping plants and ,
<br />lateral systems would distribute stoRlge water throughout
<br />the project area. At a public meeting In 1979, there was
<br />considerable concern over the cost of pumping the water
<br />and maintaining the pumps. , . , . , , : '. ". ,,: . .
<br />Thli sponsoring districts then asked the Water and~ .
<br />Resources Service to Investigate other alternatives con-
<br />centrating on importing water using Electric Mountain
<br />and Cactus Park Reservoirs and pumping Into Overland
<br />Ditch, The districts also asl<ed that the possibility of
<br />developing hydro-electric power ,plants be considered. .
<br />The districts want an alternative that reserIIbllis the
<br />orig loal plan and has a satisfactory cost-benefit ratio. " .
<br />The Grand J unction Projects Office is currently eva,uating
<br />additional altema1ives,.. '.' "'"
<br />For Further Information Contact
<br />J, F, Rinckel: Projects Manager "
<br />Water and p'ower Resources Service.
<br />764 Horizon Drive. Grand Junction. CO 81501 {.
<br />243-4992
<br />
<br />. .
<br />YELLOW-JACKE1
<br />
<br />. Location:
<br />Eastern Rio Blanco County and Axial in Moffat County.
<br />
<br />Sponsor:
<br />Yellow-Jacket Water Conservancy District .
<br />
<br />Primary Purpose of the Project
<br />
<br />For municipal, domestic and agricultural use,
<br />
<br />History and Background:
<br />
<br />A number of plans for water rellouree development for the
<br />White River Valley have been considered over the years,
<br />some dating as early as 1904, Investigations for develop-
<br />ment were conducted during the 193O's, 40's. and 50's with
<br />the rellults p_nted in a 1957 reconnaissance report by
<br />the Bureau of Reclamation as a unit of the Yampa-White
<br />Project.
<br />
<br />The Colorado River Storage Project Act of April 11, 1956,
<br />names the Yellow-Jacket Project as one of 25 projects to
<br />be given priority with respect to the completion of
<br />planning reports, The act also designated Yellow-Jacket
<br />as a potential participating project of the Colorado River
<br />Storage Project.
<br />
<br />The Yellow-Jacket Water Conservancy District was
<br />organized September 29, 1959, by local residents as the
<br />
<br />7
<br />
<br />sponsoring andlKlministrative agency for the project.
<br />
<br />In 0ct0I:iei 1968,.' a proposed feasibility. report was
<br />prepared by the Bureau of Reclamation on the Yellow-
<br />Jacket Project and circulated for review of local interests,
<br />That report reflected the results of studies and l:t1anges In
<br />local conditions ,that had laken place since tha Yamps-
<br />White Project reconnaissance report' was IsSUed.
<br />Enhancement of fish and wildlife, recreation. and flood
<br />control were also added as project purposes.
<br />
<br />Instead of diverting White River water to-tha Yampa River
<br />Basin as earlier proposed, the plan now called for delivery
<br />o! water from tha South Fork of Williams Fork. a Yampa
<br />RIver trlbutsry, to the Lost Park Reservoir for use in the
<br />White River Basin. The Bureau of Reclamation; In
<br />. cooperation with the Yellow-Jacket District, made stili
<br />further adjuslments and' changes to the Project. '
<br />
<br />Feasibility investigations were again initiated in January
<br />1975, when a multi-objectiv9' planning (MOP) team was
<br />organized in accorclance with the 'Principles and Stan-
<br />dards for Planning Water and Land Related Resources"
<br />developed by the Water Resource Council. The team,
<br />which was composed of over 50 people representing a
<br />number of segments of government and the private sector,
<br />developed a new plan providing for the development of
<br />112,800 acre-feet of water, Including 60,000 acre-feet for
<br />(ContinU1Jd on page 19l
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