WSP00295

• File Number: 8240.200.44.A
• Description: Green Mountain Reservoir
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1983
• Title: Green Mountain Reservoir Background materials
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Project Overview

'i

Federal Register I VoL 48. No. 247 I Thursday, December 22. 1983 I Notices

56657

pre\.;ous commitments to the State and
the irrigation districts.
Some of the major issues concerning
further irrigation development on the
Columhia Basin Project are: Ii) Effects
and implications of the trade-orrs .
a..ociated with use of Columbia River
waters presently being reserved by the
United States under State law for future
development; [2) how much "an water
users pay toward construction of
distribution facilities end who besides
the water users should share in the cost

of construction: 13} should the United
States provide facilities to serve
additional irrigation lands; (4) whet
measures should he taken to protect and
enhance fish and wildlife and provide
suitable recreation facilities in the~rea
to be developed; and [5J extent and
requiremen~& or existing agreements.
To insure that the "full range of issues
and alternatives related to tbis proposal
are discussed and all significant issues
are identified, scoping meetings will be
held as follo_:

t.oce.... Dew TIfM J PIctI
Pasco. WA."_'_'~'_"-"'''''''''''''' Jan. 16. 1984_ 7:30 p.m......._._~.___...J 'Ffankjn Co.,P.U.o. Audr1orium.
Moses lM8. WA_'h_~__'''_ Jan. 17. 1984.. 1:30 p.rn.._...__...._._.....~_........_....f Big Bend Community CoiIege-SllIdent
"""'"'_
Spokane, WA......~_.....___....._.~.. Jan. 18. 1984.. 7:30 p..tf\........_.._~._..._._.. WI'Ii1wI:lrlh CoIIege-UttIII n..t..
Seatue,. WA__...._.__._ Jan. 11. 1984.. 7:30 p.m.._...--;-___ Seattle lAntef, Mercer Forum I and ..

Interested agencies. organizations;
and individuals should wrile to or
contact the Bureau of Reclamation at the
address provided below. The contact
person will be: Mr. Cline Sweet.
Columbia Basin Project Office. Bureau
of Reclamation. 32 C Street NW. P.O.
Box 815, Ephrata, Washington 98823.
Telephone: (509J 754-4611. Extension
209.

Dated: December 16. 1983.
James Furse~ Jr.,
Acting Commissioner of Reclamation.
.(Fft Doe.Il3-3391D Filed ~-33; 8:45 .m)
8flUHG CODE 4310-0t-M

Operating Polley for Green Mountain
Reservoir; Colorado-Big Thompson
Project, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation.
interior.
ACTION: Final notice of operating policy
for Green Mountain Reservoir~

EFl'ECTlVE DATE: January 23. 1984.
fOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTAcr.
Robert Berling. Project Manager. Bureau
of Reclamation. South PlaUe River
Projects Office. P.O. Box 449. Loveland.
Colorado 80539, telephone (303) 667-
4410. -
SUMMARY:The Bureau of Reclamation _
.has the.esponsibility to operate and
maintain the CBT (Colorado-Big
ThompsonJ Project in accordance with
the provisions of Senate Document 80
IAct of August 9. 1937. 50 Stat. 584). The
policy defines the water supply and
water service available and sets forth
lhe procedures whereby water users
may subordinate power generation for
their water supply needs and provides a
solution for repayment of reimbursable
costs for lhe dam and, reservoir. A

-

proposed policy was published in the
Federal Regis!er on March 28, 1981. with
a public review and comment period of
45 days. This policy. issued by the
Regiornrl Director. Lower Missouri
Region. reflects the comments received.
The Bureau constructed Green
Mountain Dam and Powerplant as
features of the CBT Project. Green
Mountain Dam and Powerplant are
located on the Blue River. a tnbutary of
the Colorado River in north-central
Colorado. The CBT Project was
recommended by the Secretary of the
Interior and approved by the President
on December 21. 1937._pursuantto
section 4 of the Act of lune 25. 1910 [36
Stat. 8380J. and subsection B of section 4
of the Fact Finders' Act (Act of
December 5. 1924. 43 Stat. 672). Funds
-for 1:onstruction of the project were
_appropriated by the Interior Department-
Appropriation Act of 1938 [Act of
AugustS. 1937. 50 Stat. 584).
Notices will be published in the
Federal Register prior to negotiations for
any potential wa1er service contracts.
Actual operation of Green Mountain
Reservoir.Wlder the policy will
commence in 1984 on the. date fixed by
the Secretary of the interior as specified
in paragraph 3 of the operating policy.

Background

The Bureau of Reclamation
constructed Green Mountain Dam and
Powerplant as feature of the CBT
(Colorado-Big Thompson) Project. Green
Mountain Dam and Reservoir were
completed in 1943.
The use and disposition of the water
stored in Green Mountain Reservoir are
under- the jurisdiction of the Secretary of
the Interior as set forth in Senate
Document 8O"{Act of August 9. 1937, 50
Stat. 5841 and reaffimred in !be

Consolidated Cases (Civil Actions Nos.
2782. 5018. and 5017J: United States
District Court lor the District of
Colorado. (hereinafter referred tei as
Consolidated Cases). This authority has
been delegated.to the Regional Director.
LMR (Lower Missouri Region). to be . _
exercised in consultation with the '.'
Regional Director. UCR (Upper-Colorado
Region). The Consolidated Cases remain
under the continuing jurisdiction of the
District Court (United States District
Court for the District of ColoradoJ.
The purposes for adopting a policy for-
the operation of Green Mountain
Reservoir at this lime are to quantify the
presently perfected uses of water
dependent-upon the reservoir and to
provide an orderly means of disposition
of the remaining water in the reservoir
for beneficial consumptive uses in the
geographic,area of Colorado west of the
Continental Divide (hereinafter referred
to as western Colorado). Thepolicy
. provided that upon release. either
pursuant 10 the provisions of Senate
Document 80. subsequent court decrees
and stipulations. or contractual
arrangements entered'into in
accordancewilh this policy, the
administration of all released waters
shall be by the Colorado State Engineer.
Colorado Division of Water Resources.
The policy specifically defines the water
supply and water service available and
sets forth the procedures whereby water
may be made available for beneficial
consumptive llse. Nothing herein
contained shalLbe deemed to aller or
change the duties and obligations of the
Department of the Interior under the
judgments and decrees entered in the
Consolidated Cases. Senate Document
80. above referred 10. the appliCable
provisions of the Constitution of the
State of Colorado regarding water. and
the State of Colo~ado laws regarding the
adjudication and administration of
water.
The reservoir has been in operation
since 1943. Since there commencement
of operations. the have been several
years of below-average river flows.
necessitating release of water to meet
irrigation and domestic uses in western
. Colorado not satisfied by natural nows.
Unaer Senate Document 80. the first
obligation -of the reservoir in such a
circumstance is to augment irrigation
and domestic uses existing in 1937 and.
if stored water is thereafter available for
release. to augment all such subsequent
similar.needs arising to the extent stored
water therefor is available. The release
of approximately 66,000 acre-feet of
water from storage to supplement
natural flow sh,ortage in western
Colorado was necessary in 1977.