BOARD01567

• Board Meeting Date: 5/1/1975
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

Mr. Crandall : Thank you very much, Larry. Ladies and gentlemen, the
Dallas Creek project is in the definite plan investigation phase. We
have within the past month or so completed a preliminary field draft of
this definite plan report. This is the investigation that takes place
following the authorization of the project to get final design data,
the final project costs and other factors together, as a basis for the I
repayment contract. We must complete the environmental impact statement,
and analyze the present construction conditions.

The present plan will be presented to you as a basis for your under-
standing of the physical, hydrological and other factors. There are
alternatives in the way the project water may be utilized and please
understand that review of the project in this manner is intended to
proVide a basis for considering the other ways of employing the resources.
I will now, with your permission, Mr. Chairman, call on Mr. J. F. Rinckel
of our Grand Junction project office, who will in a rather brief time
here, give you a concise summary of the definite plan report investiga-
tion.

Mr. Rinckel: Thank you, Mr. Crandall. Mr. Chairman, members of the
board, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to take a few minutes here to
set up, because we are going to turn out the lights and we will use the
two screens.

In July, 1960, at the request of the Tri-County Water Conservancy Dis-
trict and the state of Colorado, the Bureau of Reclamation initiated
feasibility investigations for a proposed water conservation development
known as the Dallas Creek project. Earlier reconnaissance investigations
had already indicated that a project could be effectively developed for
the area. The feasibility report was completed and printed in May of
1966. Congress reacted favorably to the report and the project was
authorized for construction on September 30, 1968 as part of the Colorado
River Basin Act and as a participating project under the Colorado River
Storage Project Act of April 11, 1956.

A draft of the definite plan report and the Draft Environmental State-
ment have been completed and are in the review process. As a general
introduction to the project, let us look at the area as it now is. The
affected area is located in west-central Colorado south of Grand Junction
in the Uncompahgre River Basin. The basin is bordered on the north by
the Gunnison River, on the south by the San Juan Mountains,on the west
by the Uncompahgre Plateau, and on the east by Cimarron Ridge and the
Black Canyon Uplift.

Here is a view of the San Juan Mountains, the headwater area of East I
Dallas Creek, a part of the Uncompahgre River drainage. These mountains
serve as a storage area for winter snows. The spring runoff from the
, snowpacks could be controlled to benefit its many users. Following East
'Dallas Creek downstream we come to its confluence with the West Fork
and a view of the main Dallas Creek Valley. The land in this area has
a good water supply but oertain owners could use additional irrigation
water. Here is a closer look of the stream below the confluence of the
East and West Forks. Here is a view of Pleasant Valley Creek, a tributary

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