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<br />, <br /> <br /> <br />United States Department of the Interior <br /> <br />BUREAU OF RECLAMATION <br /> <br />GRAND JUNCTION PROJECTS OFFICE - REGION 4 <br />P,O. BOX 1728 <br />GRAND JUNCTION. COLORADO 81501 <br /> <br />..... <br />~ <br />c. <br />- <br /> <br />'...... <br /> <br />'"' <br /> <br />IN REPLY <br />REFER TO: <br />500. <br /> <br />January 10, 1972 <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />To: Regional Director, Region 4, Salt Lake City, Utah <br /> <br />From: Project Manager, Grand Junction, Colorado <br /> <br />Subject: Special Report on the need for Improvement and Extension-- <br />Uncompahgre Project, Colorado <br /> <br />This report summarizes the results of reconnaissance investigations <br />concerning improvement and extension of the Uncompahgre Project to <br />meet current and anticipated needs of the area. Much of the infor- <br />mation contained in the report was supplied by the Uncompahgre Valley <br />Water Users Association, the contracting and operating entity for the <br />project. <br /> <br />The Uncompahgre Project is one of the oldest Federal Reclamation pro- <br />jects, having been authorized for construction in 1903. The original <br />project features, constructed mostly prior to 1915, included the <br />6-m11e Gunnison Tunnel, 7 major diversion dams, and 565 miles of <br />canals and laterals. Later additions included the 106,200 acre- <br />foot Taylor Park Reservoir built during the 1935-1937 period and 215 <br />miles of land drains constructed from 1936 to 1942. Needed rehabili- <br />tation work has been perfocned at intervals during the operational <br />period of the project. <br /> <br />Taylor Park Dam is in satisfactory operating condition and requires <br />only occasional minor maintenance. The initial one-half of the <br />Gunnison Tunnel was constructed in sound metamorphic rock, but the <br />remainder was constructed in shale and required concrete lining for <br />stability. Throughout the history of the project, failure and <br />deterioration of the lining has required major periodic maintenance <br />and replacement. A current program of tunnel lining replacement <br />being performed by the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association <br />with Federal Rehabilitation and Betterment Funds is scheduled to <br />extend to June 1978. <br />