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;)u24M FRYINGPAN-ARKANSAS PROJECT 27 major regulatory reservoirs in the upper Colorado River Basin. The . need for the s~orage project stems from the compacts pertaining to Colorado River waters, The Colorado River compact apportions the use of 7.5 million acre-feet of water annually to the upper Colorado River Basin, It also provides that the States of the upper division (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) will not cause the flow of the river at Lee Ferry, Ariz" to be depleted below an aggregate of 75 million acre-feet for any period of 10 consecutive years. This compact was signed November 24, 1922, and made effective pursuant to the terms of the Boulder Canyon Act. The upper Colorado River compact in turn apportions the use of Colorado River water to the 4 States and Arizona, and provides for the sharing of joint water obligations of the 4 States, The upper Colorado River compact was signed October 11, 1948, subsequentJ.v ratified by the Upper Basin States and approved by the Congress, Full consummation of the apportioned uses of Colorado River water in the Upper Basin States, consistent with the rights and obligations of the compacts and the Mexican Treaty of 1945, would require construction of major regula- tory reservoirs in the upper basin, WESTERN-SLOPE FEATURES 41. A system consisting of about 50 miles of canals and tunnels would enable the collection of water from Hunter Creek and the Fryingpan River-both tributaries of the Roaring Fork River, ,The water so collected would be diverted to the eastern slope through the potential Fryingpan-Arkapsas tunnel, about 6 miles in length. Since 1935, the Twin Lakes Reservoir & Canal Co, has diverted western-slope water from the' Roaring Fork drainage to its reservoir on the eastern slope, The company has a legal right to divert more water than it has diverted to date; but such increased diversions would be detrimental to fishery values in the Roaring Fork River and its, tributaries above Aspen. In order to preserve those fishery values the project plan includes an extension of the collection system ;Jtt--', to the South Fork of Hunter Creek and enlargement of other project facilities to permit an exchange of water with the Twin Lakes Co, This plan hinges upon the execution of agreements whereby the company would refrain from certain diversions through its own system whenever the natural flow of the Roaring Fork River falls below a specified minimum in exchange for an equivalent supply delivered on the eastern slope through project facilities. The cost of these specific facilities and enlargements is estimated at $2,179,000 and is considered economically justifiable by the Fish and Wildlife Service on the basis of resulting benefits. 42. The Aspen Reservoir would be constructed near the town of Aspen to provide replacement water and also to provide water for . future use in meeting demands in western Colorado. The reservoir, which would inundate about 6,50 acres and have an active capacity of 28,000 acre-feet, would be created by an earth-fill dam about 90 feet in height. A short supply canal would divert water from Hunter Creek to the reservoir. . 43. The Aspen Dam site is at an altitude of 8,017 feet, The collection system for the transmountain diversion would be entirely above 10,000 feet altitude. The chief construction problems will be the short working season and transportation of materials,