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:-:t r--_ ,. I : Spring 1991 INTRODUCTION :- , The Dolores Project, located in the Dolores and San Juan River Basins in southwestern Colorado, is developing water from the Dolores River for irrigation, municipal and industrial (M&I) use, recreation, fish and wildlife, and production of hydroelectric power. It also will provide water to the Dove Creek area, central Montezuma Valley area, and south to the Towaoc area on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation. PLAN Primary storage of Dolores River flows for all project purposes is provided by McPhee Reservoir, formed by McPhee Dam and Great Cut Dike. Dawson Draw Reservoir, located west of McPhee Reservoir, is to be constructed specifically for fish and wildlife enhancement and will be supplied primarily fr~m irrigation return flows. 1- An average annual supply of 90,900 acre-feet of water will be provided to 27,920 acres of full service land in the Dove Creek area, 7,500 acres of full service land in the Towaoc area, and 26,300 acres of supplemental service land in the Montezuma Valley area. Water for the Dove Creek area is pumped from McPhee Reservoir by the Great Cut Pumping Plant and conveyed 32.8 miles through the Dove Creek Canal and its 6.9-mile branch, the South Canal. Water for the Towaoc area will be conveyed 44 miles from the reservoir by the Dolores Tunnel and the Dolores and Towaoc Canals. Both areas will be served by sprinkler irrigation systems. The Montezuma Valley area is served by releases at Great Cut Dike and the Dolores Tunnel and Canal to an existing gravity distribution system. Powerplants will be located at McPhee Dam and on the Towaoc Canal to generate an annual average of 37,488,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity which will enter the Colorado River Storage Project power transmission system. The McPhee Dam facility will operate year-round on fishery releases from McPhee Reservoir, while the Towaoc Canal plant will operate from April to October on the irrigation water supply conveyed through the canal. MCPHEE DAM AND RESERVOIR AND GREAT CUT DIKE ! McPhee Dam, located on the Dolores River, is a rolled earth, sand, gravel, and rockfill structure with a volume of approximately 6,230.000 cubic yards. The crest of the dam is 270 feet above streambed, 1,370 feet in length, and 30 feet wide. A gated spillway located in the right abutment includes a concrete chute leading to a stilling basin. The outlet works, located in the left abutment of the dam, has two separate intake structures~ and a total capacity of 5,000 cubic feet per second. Great Cut Dike is a rolled earthfill structure with a crest length of 1,900 feet, and crest width of 30 feet. It has a maximum height of 64 feet above the original ground surface. The embankment has a volume of about 189,000 cubic yards. McPhee Reservoir has & total capacity of 381,000 acre-feet, including 229,000 acre-feet of active capacity, 152,000 acre-feet of inactive capacity, and 100 1