WSPC02054

• File Number: 8064.100
• Description: Ute Tribes
• State: CO
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 9/1/1989
• Author: Harris Water Enginee
• Title: Ute Mountain Ute Tribe - Delores Project Irrigation - Small Reclamation Loan Application Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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2653

3. Dolores Proiect

The Dolores Project is a multiple purpose water resource
project being constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation, as a
participating project of the Colorado River Storage Project
(CRSP) . Construction of the project began in 1977 and as of
1989, about 65% of the project has been constructed. McPhee
Reservoir is the main reservoir for the project which is
constructed and fully operational; this reservoir will supply
the municipal and irrigation water for the Tribe.

The Dolores Project will provide 22,900 acre-feet of water
for irrigation, 1,000 acre-feet for municipal use, and 800
acre-feet for fish and wildlife. The irrigation water will be
used to irrigate about 8000 acres of land on the reservation.
The municipal water will be delivered to Towaoc through a
pipeline from the Cortez water treatment plant; Cortez will
treat the Tribe's share of Dolores project water so that treated
water will be delivered to Towaoc. Municipal water is available
as soon as the pipeline to convey water from the treatment plant
to Towaoc is completed.

The only major Dolores project facility remainin9 to be
constructed is the Towaoc-Highline Canal to deliver irr1gation
water to the reservation and to reduce the salinity return
flow. The Towaoc-Highline Canal will replace two existing
unlined ditches, thereby reducing seepage and the resulting salt
loading. The canal will serve non-Indian irrigators for the
first two thirds of its length, then be soley for the Tribe when
it enters the reservation.

The Bureau of Reclamation will also construct buried
pipelines to each field on the reservation, as was installed for
the non-Indians. There is sufficient elevation drop to
pressurize the water in the pipelines so that no pumping will be
required to operate the sprinkler systems. The land will be
irrigated with center pivot sprinkler systems, with a few
sideroll systems in smaller areas. Water is scheduled to be
delivered in 1993.

This application addresses: (1) the pipeline to convey
municipal water from the city of Cortez to the Town of Towaoc
and (2) the irrigation facilities to utilize the 22,900
acre-feet of water to irrigate 8000 acres of land. The Dolores
project, including the municipal pipeline and the lands to be
irrigated, were thoroughly described in the 1977 Environmental
Impact statement ,(EIS) and the Definite Plan Report (DPR) and
subsequent supplements to the EIS and DPR. Much of the
information necessary to prepare this application was taken from
the DPR and EIS, especially the environmental considerations.
Numerous excerpts and references are made to the DPR and EIS.

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