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'REPORT BY BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, REGION 4, TO COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD JANUARY 6, 1961 The tempo of construction and planning activities contin- ues to mount for the Colorado River Storage Project and Participat- I ing Projects. With the start of construction on Blue Mesa Dam of the Curecanti Unit, work will be underway on all four of the initially authorized storage units of the Colorado River Storage Project. By June of 1961, construction will be going ahead on six of the eleven participating projects initially authorized in 1956. COLORADO RIVER STORAGE PROJECT GLEN CANYON UNIT: Prime contract construction is now about 35 percent completed. The placement of concrete in the dam and powerplant has proceeded at an ever increasing rate since the First Bucket Ceremony on June 17, 1960. More than 500,000 cubic yards had been placed by the first of the year. Some difficulties have been encountered in the function- ing of the large and complex concrete batching plant, but these are being ironed out. Also, the forming and placing operations in the lower odd-shaped blocks near to bedrock were slow, but the rate of placement has increased now that the higher uniform blocks have been reached. Of particular importance in concrete placement operations has been the installation of a third cableway from towers erected on the inboard set of rails. This 25-ton, third cableway will henceforth handle concrete for the powerhouse con- struction, and leave the two, 50-ton cableways free for handling the 32-ton loaded buckets to place concrete in the dam proper. FLAMING GORGE UNIT: Construction at Flaming Gorge is about 35 per- cent completed by the prime contractor. The contractor's aggregate and batch plants were put into operation after an intensive erection schedule during the summer months so that the first concrete was placed in the tailrace retaining wall early in Septelnber. The first concrete was placed in the dam pro- I per on September 21, and placement continued until freezing con- ditions necessitated shutting down operations on November 9. The 40,000 cubic yards placed late this year was sufficient to cover the foundation bedrock. Concreting will be started again as soon as the weather breaks next spring - probably about April 1. In the meantime ~le drilling of the inclined spillway tunnel and other winter work will continue.