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<br /> <br />\ <br />\ <br /> <br />2170 <br /> <br />GRAND MESA <br /> <br />. Location: <br /> <br />West-central Colorado between Cedaredge and <br />Hotchkiss in Delta County; in the Gunnison River Basin, a <br />part of the Upper Colorado River Basin. <br /> <br />Sponsors: <br /> <br />Grand Mesa Water Conservancy District, North Fork <br />Water Conservancy District <br /> <br />Primary Purpose of the Project: <br /> <br />Irrigation, municipal and Industrial water. <br /> <br />Secondary Benefits: <br /> <br />Fish and wildlife; recreation. <br /> <br />" <br />1.'1 <br /> <br />History and Background: <br /> <br />Feasibility studies were authorized by the Colorado River <br />Storage Project Act ot 1956, and were begun in 1964. The <br />studies 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. Thetwo reservoirs would <br />be connected by 43-mlle iong Grand Mesa Canal. As the <br />studies neared compietlon In 1973, the Water Resource <br />Council completed Its Principals and Standards for plan- <br />ning water and related land resources. Plansforthe Grand <br />Mesa project did not meet those guidelines. In 1973, the <br />Bureau of Reclamation suspended the studies and <br />pUblished a Cbncluding Report, which preserved the <br />Information which had already been collected. <br /> <br />rn 1975, the sponsoring districts requested that studies be <br /> <br />resumed because there was an increasing need for <br />Industrial and domestic water, given additional coal <br />production and a growing population in the project area. <br /> <br />In 1977, Congress appropriated money for further study of <br />Grand Mesa. A multi-objective planning team recon- <br />sidered the orlglnai plans and found them to be unfeasible <br />given inflated construction_costs and environm,ental con- <br />cernS. With the concurrence of the sponsoring districts, <br />the planning team recommended enlarging the <br />Fruitgrowers Reservoir. Much less land wouid receive <br />Irrigation water under this plan. Three pumping plants and <br />lateral systems would distribute storagewaterthroughout <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 /> <br />The sponsoring districts then asked the Water and Power <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 aiso asked that the possibility of <br />developing hydro-electric power plants be considered. <br />The districts want an alternative that resembles the <br />original plan and has a satisfactory cost-benefit ratio. <br /> <br />The Grand Junction Projects Office is currentlyevaluatlng <br />additional alternatives. <br /> <br />~ <br />:1 <br />~ <br /> <br />For Further Information Contact: <br /> <br />J. F. Rlnckel; Projects Manager <br />Water and Power Resources Service, <br />764 Horizon Drive, Grand Junction, CO 81501 <br />243-4992 <br /> <br />YELLOW-JACKET' <br /> <br />;" <br /> <br />location: <br />Eastern Rio Blanco County and Axial in Moffat County. <br /> <br />Sponsor: <br />Yellow-Jacket Water Conservancy District. <br /> <br />.l <br />1 <br />II! <br />n <br />.' <br /> <br />Primary Purpose of the Project: <br /> <br />For municipal, domestic and agricultural u'se. <br /> <br />History and Background: <br /> <br />A number of plans for water resource development forthe <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 1930's, 40's, and 50's with f, <br />the results presented in a 1957 reconnaissance report by <br />the Bureau of Reclamation as a unit of the Yampa-Whlte <br />pr~ject. <br /> <br />nieColorado River Storage Project Act of April11, 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 and administrative agency for the project. <br /> <br />In October 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 changes In <br />local conditions that had taken place since the Yampa- <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 the Yampa River <br />Basin as earlier proposed, the plan now called for delivery <br />of water from the South Fork of Williams Fork, a Yampa <br />River tributary, 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 adjustments and changes to the Proj~ct. <br /> <br />Feasibility investigations were again. initiated in January <br />1975,when,a muiti-objective planning (MOP) team was <br />organized in accordance with the "Principles and Stan- <br />dards for Planning Water and Land Related Resources" <br />dev~loped 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 01 <br />112,800 acre-feet of water, including 60,000 acre-feet for <br />(Continued on page 19) <br />