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<br />20 <br /> <br />MANNER OF MAKING THE STUDIES <br /> <br />The economics of developing the power head on the North <br />Fork of the South Platte were appraised. The starting point was an <br />appraisal of the scheme developed by the Bureau of Reclamation <br />in its preliminary report of 1948. This plan contemplated a reser- <br />voir at Shawnee which would provide some regulation and would <br />permit the development of a peaking plant below that reservoir. <br />The balance of the power head under the Bureau's plan would <br />have been developed by a series of open canals, tunnels, and <br />power drops, Two Forks Reservoir being used for long-time hold- <br />over and regulation. The plan envisioned a power plant at Two <br />Forks Reservoir and an afterbay reservoir below, <br /> <br />Open canals under Colorado's winter climate cannot be <br />reljed upon for the generation of firm power, Two other schemes <br />therefore were investigated which would contemplate the carry- <br />ing of the power water through tunnels to the penstocks, As a <br />matter of fact, the original power scheme of the Bureau of <br />Reclamation for the Colorado-Big Thompson Project contem- <br />plated the carrying of water in open canals and bench flumes <br />down the Big Thompson Canyon, but after considerable study <br />the Bureou concluded that the only meons of developing firm <br />power was to keep all of the power water in closed conduits, most <br />of which are tunnels. <br /> <br />On Figure 3 are depicted profiles of the Bureau of Reclama- <br />tion preliminary scheme and the two schemes investigated as a <br />part of this study. One scheme for developing practically the total <br />North Fork power head is characterized as the Shawnee-Resort <br />Creek scheme, Under this plan a reservoir would be constructed <br />at Shawnee and operated to permit the generation of peaking <br />power in the Resort Creek unit. The power water would be carried <br />entirely through a tunnel to the forebay at the head of the power <br />penstocks. Another scheme studied was one which involved the <br />partial development of the North Fork power head by constructing <br />what is known as the Crossons unit, Again, the power water would <br />be carried through a tunnel to the power penstock, <br /> <br />Unfortunately there no longer exists any economical after- <br />bay potential of adequate capacity below Two Forks Reservoir. <br />Otherwise, if and when built, a power plant located at this reser- <br />voir would have considerable value as a peaking plant. The <br />