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/' I ~ .;1 .' ~ The power plant nOW in operation at Green Mountain Dam on the western slope and the power plants to be constructed on the eastern slope will be interconnected with the power plants of the North Platte, Kendrick, Riverton, and Shoshone Projects operated by the Bureau of Reclamation in Wyoming and serving distributing agencies in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado. Although the diversion of water for irrigation is the principal pur- pose of the project, about 600,000,000 kilcwlatt-hours of firm electrical energy per annum can be produced from the falling water. This is suffi- cient for a city of 500,000 population. The project vdll be retained and operated by the Government with a part of the operating cost repaid by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. The repayment contract approved by the District voters provides that the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District will repay a substantial portion of the construction cost, which amounts to more than $130,000,000 for the project as a whole. The Government assUllles the balance of the cost which is tentatively allocated for full power development. The con- struction charge for liquidation of the irrigation project costs is esti- mated at $2.00 an acre-foot for a 40-year period under the terms of the Reclamation laws. The Northern Colorado ITater Conservancy District will collect from the water users $1.50 per acre-foot of water delivered per year as partial payment and about $0.50 per acre-foot of the annual con- struction charge, this together with operating costs chargeable to the district, will be collected as an ad valorem tax of one mill per dollar appraisal on all property in the District. The construction of the COlo- rado-Big Thompson Project was authorized by the first session of the seventy-fifth Congress. PRELThlINARY REPORT In the spring of 1935, $150,000 was allocated to the Bureau of Recla- mation to make surveys and prepare plans and cost estimates for bringing water from the head of the Colorado River to the area in northeastern Colorado which area was in need of supplemental water. By January 1937, these investigations and the report thereon were completed. This report contains the plans and cost estimates of all major structures and units of the proposed construction, together with the results of studies of the geological formations, water stUdies, and other features. The synopsis of the report, published as Senate Document Ho. 80 (15th Congress, 1st Session), was approved as the basis for authorization of the project. PRESENT STATUS OF THE PROJECT Appropriations and allotment totaling $47,135,145 have already been made. The repayment contract authorized by a majority of all taxpayers in the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and approved by the Secretary of the Interior, cleared the way for construction. The first large unit of work undertaken was the Green.Mountain Dam and power plant, 2