C153166 Feasibility Study

• Contract/PO #: C153166
• Contractor Name: Rico, Town of
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 0
• County: Dolores
• Bill Number: SB 77-35
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

Watershed

The Silver Creek drainage as shown on ,Map B of this report, extends

northeasterJ.y from Rico. CMnership consists mostly of Forest Seriee

land. There is some private ownership, however, all of which are

Rico Argentine properties.
There is an agreement between the Forest Service and the Town of

Rico as to the management of the Silver Creek Watershed. The agree-
ment can be found in Appe,ndix D, PP. 1-6" of this report. The,

Forest Service has agreed to restrict llse of this watershed to acti-

vities amenable to a municipal watershed. There is, however, SOlue

recreational use on this watershed that could potentially pollute the

water.

The Forest Service has no control over the use in the private lands

in the watershed except for access. The one-half raile of access roadway

into Rico Argentine properties in the Forest will have to be constructed

to standards prescribed by the Forest Service before official easement

.lill be granted. This will involve a substantial investment by Rico

Argentine. H011ever, if Rico Argentine decided to develop these properties

as mountain homesite properties, it is very possible that it wOLlld still

return profits despite Forest Service'S stringent road requirements.

This would mean that the watershed cOLlld be impacted by summer home use

in the future. If this should happen, the tOlm would have to adjust

its treatment facility accordingly.

The physical properties of the watershed are as folloWs:

1. Area: 4.66 square miles

2. Mean Elevation: 11,170 feet above sealevel

3. 75% forested with spruce, fir and aspen

4. 100 year noed flow: 400 c.f.s.

5. Highest point in drainage: Blackha;;k Mountain at
12,681 feet above sea level.

6. Intake Elevation: 9,940 feet above sea level