BOARD02195

• Board Meeting Date: 9/12/1964
• Description: Minutes
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

emphasize that this has been one of the most
distressing performances of a state agency,
since this project was authorized almost 20
years ago.

I

In general, the public hearings disclosed
that groups or interests residing upstream from
the proposed Narrows Dam site were opposed to
the project, while groups or interests below
the proposed site were in favor of the project.

As a result of the lack of official sup-
port by the State of Colorado, all construction
activities on the Narrows Dam and Reservoir
were terminated. The houses and buildings in
Fort Morgan were sold and the project, for all
practical purposes, was abandoned.

On April 18, 1958, about six years ago
now, a group of about 35 residents from the
South Platte Valley, representing areas extend-
ing generally from just below Denver to the
Nebraska-Colorado state line, appeared before
this Board in Denver and requested that the
Board reinitiate studies leading towards the
construction of channel storage on the South
Platte River. The Board agreed to this request,
and in the years 1959 through 1963 it furnished
$125,000 to the Bureau of Reclamation for fur-
ther studies on the South platte River. Other
expenditures in the approximate sum of $25,000
have been made from state funds during the
past two years for the employment of consul-
tants. Approximately another $50,000 has been
expended in staff time and travel expense.

I

Shortly after the new studies were initi-
ated, the Board appointed a South Platte Steer-
ing Committee, consisting of representatives
from various geographical areas of the South
Platte Valley, so that the citizens of the
Valley could be kept informed as to the progress
of the studies.

Initial studies indicated that at least
three reservoirs would be required on the
South Platte River to fully utilize the avail-