WSPC05768 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

'f ( 06rHl56 COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD 102 Columbine Building 1845 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203 August 1, 1972 M E M 0 RAN DUM TO: Members, Colorado Water Conservation Board and Colorado Water Congress Advisory Committee F FROM: Felix L. Sparks, Director SUBJECT: Agenda Items Nos. 3 and 5, Board Meeting. August 16, 1972 1. Agenda Item No.3 - Proposed resolution re Elkhead dam. The Division of Wildlife is proposing the construction of a small dam on Elkhead Creek about four miles above the confluence of that creek with the Yampa River. The proposed dam would be about ten miles from the town of Craig, Colorado. The reservoir created by the dam would have a capacity of 5,250 acre-feet of water and would be utilized for fishing and recreational purposes. Some money has been appropriated by the legislature to initiate construction on the dam during this fiscal year. A combination of electrical power interests are proposing to construct a large steam generating plant on the Yampa River a few miles west of the town of Craig. These power interests are the Colorado-Ute Electric Association, the Platte River Municipal Power Association, the Salt River project Agricultural Improvement and Power District. and the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. The proposed plant would have an installed generating capacity of 700.000 kilowatts. Tentative plans call for doubling that capacity sometime in the future. Construction on the plant is expected to start within the next two years. The plant would use the coal resources of Moffat County as a source of energy. The cost of the plant is estimated at $264.000,000. The annual operating budget of the plant is estimated at $4,200,000. with a permanent payroll of about 270 persons. The plant would therefore have a very significant impact upon the economy of Moffat County. During recent years, the economy of the county has been sluggish and a population decline has taken place.