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<br />C\J <br />a <br />CO <br />..-.j <br /> <br />CHAPI'ER III <br /> <br />OHIO CREEK UNIT <br /> <br />Water Rights <br /> <br />Rights for diversion of water from the Gunnison River for municipal <br />use are held by the city of Gunnison with a decree date of September 14, <br />1906, and a priority date of June 1, 1880. <br /> <br />Environmental Impacts <br /> <br />The Ohio Creek Unit would provide a dependable and safe water supply <br />to present and future residents. The Public Health Service concluded the <br />unit would not create any environmental health problems and would supply <br />good quality domestic water that would help alleviate water supply prob- <br />lems now being experienced. <br /> <br />Increased residential developments made possible with additional water <br />would encroach on the irrigated area. Most of the future growth, however, <br />would take place with or without the project. The project is just one <br />means of providing the necessary water for development. <br /> <br />Placement of the drop inlet structure at the head of the Gunnison <br />Pipeline would cause some temporary turbidity of the Gunnison River. Exca- <br />vation for the pipeline would remove the vegetative cover. Most of the <br />disturbed area, however, would be in irrigated pasture and would be re- <br />seeded following the construction period with no long-term effects on the <br />environment. Most of the pipeline would follow the alignment of an old <br />abandoned railroad. The flows of the Gunnison River would be decreased <br />by only about 5 cubic feet per second, an insignificant amount compared <br />with existing flows of more than 300 cubic feet per second during low <br />now periods. <br /> <br />Estimated Costs <br /> <br />Construction costs of the Ohio Creek Unit are estimated at $2,385,000 <br />on the basis of January 1973 prices. These costs do not include costs of <br />facilities that would have to be provided by municipal and domestic water <br />users for terminal storage and for treatment and distribution of water sup- <br />plies. The estimated costs are shown below. <br /> <br />Gunnison Pipeline <br />Permanent operating facilities <br />Investigations <br />Total <br /> <br />$2,255,000 <br />34,000 <br />96,000 <br />2,3e5,000 <br /> <br />Unit operation, maintenance, and replacement costs are estimated at <br />an average of $11,500 annually on the basis of 1970-72 prices. <br /> <br />19 <br />