|
<br />POWER
<br />
<br />
<br />'1 ~,r. I.
<br />
<br />..
<br />,..
<br />.)
<br />FRYINGPAN-ARKANSAS PROJECT
<br />
<br />24
<br />
<br />22, Power facilities of the initial development will be designed for
<br />integration with the power facilities of the Bureau's Colorado-Big
<br />Thompson project and with local utilities to serve a combined power-
<br />market area, The combined area, which consists of the entire eastern
<br />slope of Colorado and Grand and Summit Counties on the western
<br />slope, comprises roughly two-thirds of the State and contains a large
<br />majority of the State's population and industries. The area is served
<br />with electricity by 15 private utilities, 25 municipal organizations,
<br />11 REA cooperatives, and the Bureau of Reclamation, Although not
<br />considered a permanent part of the power-market area, loads III the
<br />vicinity of Gunnison and Saguache may be served originally by the
<br />initial development because of their proximity to the project power
<br />system, The Colorado-Big Thompsou project has, among other
<br />features, the 21,600-kilowatt Green Mountain hydroelectric plant now
<br />in operation on the western slope, and, when completed, will also have
<br />hydroelectric plants on the eastern slope north of Denver.
<br />23. In December 1948-the latest year of complete record-
<br />installed generating capacity in the combined power-market area
<br />totaled 347,105 kilowatts, Of that total, 339,000 kilowatts were
<br />dependable capacity. Only about 20 percent of the installed capacity
<br />was hydropower, Steam capacity comprised 73 percent. A number
<br />of industrial plants in the area have their own generating systems
<br />which, combined, have an installed capacity of about 85,000 kilowatts.
<br />, 24. Thenoncoincident peak demand for power in the market. area
<br />in 1948 reached 300,000 kilowatts-about 12 percent more than the
<br />net assured capacity of 267,000 kilowatts. Forecasts indicate that
<br />the dependable capacity requirements will be about 632,000 kilowatts
<br />by 1960 and 966,000 kilowatts by 1970, On the basis of 1948 installa-
<br />tions, plus all known additions scheduled or projected, less normal
<br />or necessary retirements, the market area will still have a deficiency
<br />in power supply,
<br />25. As of 1950, eastern Colorado does not have a high-voltage
<br />, ~, transmission system' interconnecting all important load centers.
<br />Ties of utilities to enable interchange of power are essential for maxi-
<br />mum efficiency of service and utilization.
<br />
<br />MUNICIPAL WATER
<br />
<br />26, Most of the Arkansas Valley towns below Pueblo obtain munic-
<br />ipal water from pumped wells, Other valley communities use water
<br />from streams and springs, In general, the quality is poor because of
<br />excessive hardness,
<br />27, Colorado Springs obtains excellent water from the slopes of
<br />Pikes Peak. The city experienced water shortages prior to 1937.
<br />Since then, its water-storage capacity has been doubled and all
<br />service connections have been metered, The city has indicated an
<br />urgent need of 4,000 acre-feet of supplemental municipal water im-
<br />mediately and a proba'ble.need for an additional 16,000 acre-feet
<br />by the year 2000. In 1949, Colorado Springs started drilling the
<br />Hoosier Pass transmountain diversion tunnel which would import
<br />western-slope water from the Blue River. The city has expressed
<br />interest in obtaining supplemental municipal water from the initial
<br />development by exchange methods,
<br />
|