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DOMINGUEZ , t ~'",' .; ". ' ." '~' Location: West-central Colorado in Delta and Mesa Counties, . betWeen. the cities of Grand J!,nctlon and Delta. Sponsors: Mes8 County Dominguez Reservoir Advisory Council, Grand Junction and DeIt8 Chambers of Commerce. Primary Purpose of the Protect 1 ' . . . Peaking and Conventional Hydroelectric Power. ",' '" SeCOndary Benefits: Municipal and Industrial waier development; Recreation; Fish and Wildlife enhancement; Cultural Resource Protec- tion and Water Quality Improvement. History and Background: Regulation and storage of Gunnison River flows in the canyon south of the city of Grand Junction have been considered for many years. A .report prepared In 1946 Included a proposed Whi_ter Reservoir as part of the Cisco-Thompson Project. The dam site for this early plan was on the Gunnison River about. 6 miles above its confluence with the Colorado River, This reservokwould have had a capacity of about 1,5 million acre-feet and would have supplied irrigation water to more'than 90,000 acres and produced 18 megawatts of power. It would, however, haw inundated the town of Whitewater and the stretch of Colorado Highway 141 which now passes through Un_eep Canyon. In December 1950, a report recQjnnlended theWhl_ter Unit as one of five major project units. and would have included an 88O.llOO-acre-foot Impoundment known as Bridgeport Dem and Reservoir, about 2 miles south of the town of WhtteWater, The project would have provided long-term storage. irrigation flows. and 48 MG of power produced by three generators. The normal water surface elevation would have required construction ofthree dikes along the east side of the reservoir to prevent flooding of the area where Highway 50 now. exists. In the final Commissioner's report dated December 1950. the name of the site was changed to Whltewater Dam and Reservoir. This sltewas 'later to become the DOminguez Oamslte, although it was changed slightly in 1978toavoid a surface slide area on the left abutment (moved 700 feet farther downstream), The Gunnison River Project R_nal....- Report 01 1951 included plans almost identical to Whitewater Dam, except that this proposal would have provided water tor Irrigation in the Whitewaler and Kanna Creek areas, as well as power a!,d storage, in the early 1970's. a smaller reServoir known as Dom inguez ,Lake was proposed as part of the Uncom- pahgre Project Improvement and Extension Project. Con- gress later divided the project into the Uncompahgre Improvement Project and the Dominguez Reservoir Pro- ject (the extension portion). The present investigation of the Dominguez Reservoir Project was authorized by the Water Resource Developments. Feasibility Studies Act of October 27, 1972, (Public Law 92-577). Feasibility investigations were inliiat8c:t In January 1975 with the formation 01 the multiobjective Planning (MOP) . team, The team has studied a multitude of alternatives in the planning process. These altemaU-wlll be prUBnted In the feasibility report and the envll'Ql'lmantal impact statement. The altematives to be covered include. No Development. the Non-Structural Plan. the EnvlroMleilUlI Quelity Emphasis Pian. the EnvlronmenUlI Development . Emphasis Plan. several other structural plans. and the recommended plan. The Feqibllity Report Is scheduled , . for mld-calendar yesr .1981.' The Draft Environmental Impact SUltement and public meeting are aue late calen- dar year, 1981. and the Anai Environmental Impact Statelnent In i'nid-<::alendar yeBr 1982. . The recommended plan consic:ters bOth economic development and environmental values, Two dams. two reservoirs. and two powerplants would be constructed for poWer generation. Dominguez Reservoir, the larger of the two, would provide water for municipal and industrial use, with some recreatlonaldevelopment of bOth the reservoir and the rivel'below. The plan would provideforpresefw- tion and enhancement of fish and wildlife potential above and below the reservoir and lor preservation of culturef resources and seanle. values oUhe area. . . (Continued art IN", pegIJ) 2