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<br />--------~--_._----- ----- ---- ._--~. ---------- ~----- -------- - ----- <br /> <br />------- .,.,..- ------ <br /> <br />3.2 <br /> <br />ADMINISTRATION OF THE UPPER COLORADO RIVER <br /> <br />The administration of the Upper Colorado River is largely affected by two major water rights: <br />Cameo and Shoshone. The more senior of these and therefore higher priority, is the demand at <br />Cameo, It consists of a number of senior water rights for the Grand Valley Canal and the Grand <br />Valley Irrigation Project, some of which date to the late 1800's. The Grand Valley Irrigation Project <br />includes the Government Highline Canal and the Orchard Mesa Canal rights which are diverted from <br />the river at the Grand Valley Diversion Dam, The demand measured at the Cameo gage both for the <br />Grand Valley Canal and the Grand Valley Irrigation Project during the summer is normally in excess <br />of 2000 cubic feet per second (cfs), However, if a check structure located at the afterbay of the <br />Orchard Mesa Power Plant is operated, which allows the power plant tail water to be used by the <br />Grand Valley Canal, the demand may be reduced to less than 2000 cfs, <br /> <br />The demand for water at Shoshone has a priority date of 1902 and a decreed diversion rate of <br />1250 cfs, It supplies the Public Service Company of Colorado's Shoshone hydroelectric plant in <br />Glenwood Canyon and is a year round non-consumptive use, The plant also has a junior water right <br />for 158 cfs with a priority date of 1929, In most years, when the 1902 right at Shoshone is satisfied, <br />there is sufficient water to meet the summer demand at Cameo, Downstream of the Shoshone Power <br />Plant, before reaching Cameo, the Colorado River flow is supplemented by tributary inflow largely <br />from the Roaring Fork River, <br /> <br />When flow is insufficient, a senior water right holder can place a call upon the river to which <br />junior rights must defer and reduce diversions, Many junior diversions in the Upper Colorado River <br />Basin have been protected from the Shoshone or Cameo calls by the replacement function ,of several <br />reservoirs, For example, the major function of the Williams Fork Reservoir is to allow for out-of- <br />priority diversions by the Denver systems, and one of the functions of Ruedi Reservoir is to protect <br />diversions by the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. Green Mountain Reservoir also has a replacement <br />function which warrants the following detailed description because of its significance to this project. <br /> <br />,.... <br /> <br />Operation of Green Mountain Reservoir <br />Green Mountain Reservoir, located on the Blue River, is a feature of the CBT West Slope <br />Collection and Storage System constructed by the USBR. Construction of Green Mountain dam was <br />completed in 1943, <br /> <br />3-3 <br />