PROJ00188 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

BUREAU OF /IINES The reservoir area is gently rolling. Much of the area currently is being farmed (figs. 3 and 4), although there are some stands of pinon pine and juniper. At the axis of the proposed dam, erosion has cut through a hard sand- stone member of the Dakota formation to form a small canyon estimated to be 200 feet ldde and 30 feet deep. As planned, the dam will extend up gentle. wooded slopes above the crest of the canyon wall. OHIIERSIlIP Plat books of the Bureau of Land Management reveal that no mlnlng claim patents have ever been issued in or near the dam and reservoir sites. The ~bntezuma County plat book shows all of secs. 4. 5. 6. 7, 8, 9. and 16, T. 38 N.. R. 18 W.. are privately owned. Sees. 17 and 18, T. 38 N., R. 18 W.. are privately olnoed except for the S 1/2 SE 1/4 sec. 18 and S 1/2 S 1/2 sec. 17, which are owned by either the State of Colorado or the Federal government. County records do not distinguish between State and Federal ownership. -, -) No check was made to determine whether or not minerals were conveyed with the surface patents. It I-Tas assumed that such minerals were con- veyed, precluding the staking of mining claims on these lands. In an effort to verify this supposition, the wooded areas '~re examined for evidence of mining claims, such as claim corners, discovery pits, or bulldozer trenching. None was found. Further, local residents were guestioned and, although they had staked uranium claims themselves in other areas, they had not staked nor did they know of staking in the dam or reservoir areas. DESCRIPTION OF DM~ AND RESERVOIR Ruin Canyon Reservoir is on~ of a series planned for developing waters from the Dolores River of southwestern Colorado. Water to be impounded would originate from the /,!cPhee Reservoir on the Dolores River. The Ruin C&~yon Dam would have a crest length of approximately 2,350 feet and a crest elevation of 6,769 feet above sea level. The da.m would be an eartbfill structure with a height of about 169 feet above the valley floor. A normal Ifater surface altitude of 6,761 feet is proposed. As stated in the Bureau of Reclamation I s "Plan of Development," Ruin Canyon Reservoir would have an ective capacity of about 12.000 acre-feet. Hs prirnary purpose is to reduce the reguired capacity of the main canals gnd to help make the conveyance system in the Dove Creek area more flex- ible and easier to operate. 85 " ::C\;': '