PUB00089

• Year: 1980
• Title: Upper Colorado Resource Study: Colorado and Utah - Concluding Report May 1980
• CWCB Section: Water Conservation & Drought Planning
• Author: R. Keith Higginson, Commissioner
• Description: Study to determine expected increases of water needs for energy-related developments along White and Yampa Rivers
• Publications - Doc Type: Tech Report

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CHAPTER II

INTRODUCTION

In order to minimize losses to big-game hunting, estimated at 6,500
man-days, 14,000 acres of private land would be acquired and developed,
along with 2,800 acres of adjacent public domain (a total of 16,800 acres).
The lands would be made available to the Colorado Division of Game, Fish
and Parks (now the Colorado Division of Wildlife) for administration as
big-game habitat. (BR Unpub 1968)

There was strong reaction from the Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy
Districtt Colorado River Water Conservation District, and Colorado Water
Conservation Board in regard to the inclusion. They objected to the pur-
chase of the private land as a mitigation measure, particularly because
substantially all of the new and supplemental land included for service
by the project is privately owned, and approximately 90 percent of the
new project land is presently in dryland wheat or under cultivation.
They felt that under present conditions this land was not suitable for
deer range and mitigation for its conversion to irrigation was not
justified.

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After a period of additional study and compromises, a second pro-
posed feasibility report was completed and distributed in 1972, along
with a proposed draft environmental statement. The plan presented in
this second report provided for a total annual water supply of 101,580
acre-feet. Approximately 71,500 acre-feet of this would have been for
industrial use in the development of oil shale and coal and for the
municipal and domestic uses of the population increases expected to
accompany the industrial development. The remaining 30,080 acre-feet
were to be for irrigation of about 14,190 acres of land, including
3,690 acres of supplemental service land and 10,500 acres of full ser-
vice land now cultivated for dry farm wheat or improved range grasses.
No native rangeland was included for irrigation service. The plan
presented in the 1972 report provided for fee and easement purchase,
landowner agreements, and big-game habitat improvement on acquired land,
as well as public domain lands in the vicinity of Oak Ridge east of
Meeker. (BR Unpub 1972)

The Colorado Wildlife Commission voted against support of the pro-
ject and the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, who had included
the above measure in its 1972 recommendations, revised its project
impact report in support of the Colorado agency.

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Since 1972, dialogue has continued between the Conservancy District
board and the Bureau of Reclamation. Alternate plans have been discussed,
attempting to eliminate or reduce the environmental and wildlife objec-
tions to the project. Increased emphasis on National energy needs has
resulted in participation by coal and oil shale interests. In 1975,
public involvement and multiobjective planning became an integral part of
Yellow Jacket Project planning, as discussed in Chapter III. The results
of that planning are presented in detail, and more recent developments
are summarized in Chapter VII.

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