PROJ00113 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

. CHAPTER II PLAN OF DEVELOPMENT also obtained from the river for municipal use at Nucla, Naturita, and Uravan and for industrial use at the Union Carbide Company's ore process- ing mill at Uravan and the Colorado-Ute Electric Association's steam- electric plant near Nucla. The project plan is predicated on obtaining an agreement with the Colorado Cooperative Canal Company whereby its right to divert 145 second- feet from the San Miguel River for irrigation would be modified to pro- vide for a maximum diversion of 115 second-feet and a total annual diver- sion of 33,200 acre-feet. This would allow about 5.9 acre-feet per acre for the land irrigated from the company's system. For short periods of time project water would be released from storage in Saltado Reservoir to assure a full supply under the modified right. The release would be made without cost to the canal company as a consideration for its agree- ment to modify its right. The Colorado-Ute Electric Association has an established right to consume 2.5 second-feet of San Miguel River water at its powerplant and it has applied for a right to use 90 second-feet for cooling purposes at a planned expansion of its plant. By building cooling towers the associ- ation could operate its present plant with a diversion of about 6 second- feet. . The San Miguel project plan is predicated upon successful negotia- tions to modify the right of the Colorado Cooperative Canal Company as mentioned and to limit the cooling right of the Colorado-Ute Electric Association to 4,300 acre-feet annually or an average of 6 second-feet. On this basis an allowance of 65,900 acre-feet was made in the project operation studies for all preproject uses downstream from the Saltado Reservoir. About 42,900 acre-feet of this allowance could be supplied from natural inflows and return flows below the reservoir and 23,000 acre- feet would be released at the ~eservoir. The San Miguel Water Conservancy District on September 22, 1965, filed a claim with the District Court at Montrose, Colo., for a water right for the San Miguel project. A priority of December 9, 1946, is claimed for all portions of the right except that covering direct flow diversions from the San Migue~ River for municipal and industrial U6e for which a priority of September 2, 1965, is claimed. Correlated Operations Reservoirs and canals of the Farmers Water Development Company, Lone Cone Ditch Company, and Lilylands Canal and Reservoir Company would be operated in coordination with project works to minimize the required size of new facilities and achieve the maximum practical efficiency in water use. When so operated the existing systems could provide an average of . 18