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'."".".>'~...~,",,'< ,--. '" "_'c~'''' ',,,~"-. ";"'_'C:W_''-'''''__'::'O-"'_-~-,- ,.'R.',-' .,_ "-_ .J.,_ ,'''" -",..'" :~.,~ -;;,. _.-;'~,~" ~_,. _:~ .......-_..-_. ...." .'_'_ ~".~".'-",,",""'- C~,""-._ C'j N 0? C'-J CHAPTER IV PLAN FORMULATION and about 1.7 more miles of Big Beaver Creek would be inundated. One ranch, including about 80 acres of irrigated land, would also be flooded. A small amount of wildlife range and livestock grazing would be lost. Miller Creek site The proposed Miller Creek Reservoir site lies on Miller Creek about 3 miles upstream from its mouth. A capacity of 30,000 acre-feet would be feasible. This reservoir would produce high quality water for municipal and industrial use in the vicinity of Meeker, but the location is not convenient to serve other purposes. The stream is now fairly well regulated, and a high dam would be required to obtain full storage. One ranch containing about 170 acres of irrigated land would be inundated. Coal Creek site A good reservoir basin is located on Coal Creek about 9 miles above its confluence with Little Beaver Creek. This site consists of an open basin behind a small canyon. The creek has an annual flow of only about 4,400 acre-feet, which is almost fully allocated to three existing irrigation ditches. A small feeder canal presently augments the natural supply by conveying water from Fawn Creek. Expansion of this feeder canal would be impractical as the Fawn Creek watershed is also small. The Coal Creek site would provide a good terminal storage reservoir if a water supply could be made available. Powell Park site A large reservoir has been suggested for construction on the White River at the lower end of Powell Park about 12 miles west of Meeker. An optimum size would be about 80,000 acre-feet, but a much larger water supply could be made available. A reservoir at this site would be convenient to oil shale uses and would provide some flood control and river regulation benefits. The release of cold water might create a trout fishery in the river below the dam. There are serious disadvantages to the Powell Park site. It is too far downstream to serve irrigation, coal development, or municipal needs. About 885 acres of irrigated land would be inundated, and a stretch of Colorado Highway 64 would have to be relocated. A long, expensive dam would be required. Yellow Creek site A reservoir site on Yellow Creek about 4 miles upstream from its mouth has been investigated by the Rio Blanco Oil Shale Project to 33