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<br />DOLORES PROJECT (McPHEE RESERVOIR)
<br />
<br />The Dolores Project was developed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) as a
<br />participating project in the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP). The Project provides regulation
<br />of the flows of the Dolores River to provide supplemental water supplies for irrigation, municipal,
<br />industrial, fish and wildlife and recreational uses in the Montezuma Valley area of the McElmo
<br />Creek drainage and the area to the southwest of the Dolores River near the community of Dove
<br />Creek, Colorado. The Project will also provide significant irrigation water supplies to the Ute
<br />Mountain Ute Indian Tribe, as well as municipal water for the Town of Towaoc. According to the
<br />Definite Plan Report, and as currently envisioned, the Project would develop an average annual
<br />water supply of about 126,600 acre-feet, including 90,900 acre-feet for irrigation of 61,660
<br />acres, 8,700 acre-feet for municipal and industrial use and 29,300 acre-feet for fish and wildlife
<br />enhancement. The Project is managed by the Dolores Water Conservancy District.
<br />
<br />The principal feature of the Dolores Project is the McPhee Dam and Reservoir (WOlD
<br />713614), located on the main stem of the Dolores River, just downstream of the Town of Dolores.
<br />This storage reservoir has a total capacity of 381,100 acre-feet of which 229,000 acre-feet is
<br />active storage and 152,100 acre,feet is inactive, including a dead storage pool of 100 acre,feet.
<br />The active storage is presently allocated to the following uses:
<br />
<br />TOTAL
<br />
<br />6"'"
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<br />13,900 AF'W ,!'
<br />23,300AF
<br />55,200 ~F
<br />8,700 AF
<br />29.300 AF
<br />130.400 AF
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<br />Montezuma Valley Irrigation Co. (Supplemental Irrigation Supply) 111
<br />Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (Full Service Irrigation)
<br />Full Service Irrigation (Dove Creek Canal)
<br />Municipal Users (Cortez, Dove Creek, Montezuma Water Co. and Towaoc)
<br />Dolores River Fishery
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<br />(1) Project water supply for MVlC can vary up to 8 maximum of 106.600 acre-feet per year. See following discussion.
<br />
<br />The Montezuma Valley Irrigation Co. (MVIC) is the major user of irrigation water in the
<br />Montezuma Valley area around Cortez (See separate discussion of the MVIC in this
<br />documentation). The Dolores Project provides suoolemental irrigation water to the MVIC through
<br />the Dolores Tunnel (WDID 714675) and through the outlet works at the Great Cut Dike (WOlD
<br />7146741. the latter being a 65,foot high earth dam constructed across a low saddle known as the
<br />Great Cut. As part of the negotiated agreements for the construction of the Dolores Project, the
<br />MVIC agreed to limit its total irrigation diversions from the Dolores River to no more than 150,400
<br />acre-feet per year, including its Project water. Diversions pursuant to the MVIC rights are further
<br />limited to no more than 72,000 acre-feet during the months of April, May and June. The MVIC
<br />contracted for an allocation of Dolores Project water in an amount necessary to fulfill the ideal
<br />irrigation requirements on 26,300 acres of irrioable land under the MVIC system. This delivery of
<br />Project water is estimated to range from 0 to 60,000 acre,feet per year, with an average of about
<br />13,700 acre-feet, delivered at the MVIC system. Theoretically, the MVIC has a contract right to
<br />105,500 acre-feet of Project water from McPhee Reservoir, if it were conservatively assumed that
<br />the MVIC's senior water rights would have zero yield from their own priorities (26,300 acres x
<br />4.01 acre-feet/acre = 105,500 acre,feet).
<br />
<br />The Dolores Water Conservancy District (District) also entered into separate agreements
<br />with the MVIC which provided: (1) Acquisition by the District of 505 cfs from the MVIC's
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