WSP02373

• File Number: 8430.500
• Description: Platte River-Platte River-Water User Groups and Conservancy Districts-Denver Water
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 1/1/1956
• Title: Denver Board of Water Comm Reports 1957-A Years Progress for More Water-1956 Annual Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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~:~~M MOUNTAIN TO METROPOLIS

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Tile mGlHhc IH'Gkt 01 tloe Btlle R..,e, cOiI"I'1. _ Iro... W",u POltell, .....It
be the soll'e"o! mol'l! ,........ot". lot rOil,

_Do..4..............Ph.o

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Todcy's Improvements... Tomorrow's Water

As i~ true of any bu,in{"~. ~'our "'dttr dt'panmcnt mUH mc.:l
incr('a~ing demand.. for ih produn throu~h constant addi.
tiom 10 phpica[ pldn!. In 1<)0;6, ~'uur dcp;ulml'm 'pt'm
S8JlR8.4~1.8R on C"Jpilal impronnwO(s ({) Ihe 'y,(('m. In-
cluded amonE:: tht' jobs complt'tcd \HH' winterizing of the
\'dsqUt'Z-SI. Louis Creek canJI collection system for
56M3.000 and douhling of the capacity of tht' ~toH.H Filter
PIJ.nt for SI,25~.O(K.l. Olher imprO\l'mCmS inclmh.J lining
of one of the \oull('r wdlU tunnels, imlJllation of me.l\ur-
ing de, in's at ,wrage cesenoirs, incre.l.\ing capacity of the
\'asqut"z,St. Louis cnlk~,ion s~stem b~' installing lar~e
diametf:r pipe, la~ing laq;e suppl~' mains in Dcn\t"r, and
building of resl"f'\"oir access roads. ^dditional1~'. tht're was
the usual exttmion of water lines into In'as within the cit~
limits of Denq~r,

Some of thest" improHmencs madl' during 1956 ha\e .llread~'
benered \ef'\'ire; others will play an import.lnt pan in hrin!:,
ing ~'ou still more \\'at~'r in fUUJre ~-e.lrs,

350,000 Acre Feet by 1962

Tht' year just p.l~t ~.I\\ ~-our w.lt.t'r department uekle the
biggest job of its career. , . bringmg m.lleriJlly murt' water
to \'OU b\' the mid,~ixti(..., It is estimau.d th.lt the increase
in awug(- amount of W.lll:r onail.lhle each year for Dt'fl\l'r
will t"xceed 'wO.OOO acre fetor. In launching th(' $101 million
impro\-ement program. th(' departml'nc SUrfed work un

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Thi1 Wnl Po.tol .,~. il d'amot,tolly 'r...ooli(- of I~ _". kltO..-ho.. and
equip"'...' nud..d 10 bor~ rite Roben1 Tifft""!.

-O'..411l.1f....'h<>M

proj~'eh during 19<;6 which will cost more than SSO million,
These includl' tht. SW million Harold D. Rorn"rts Tunnd,
\\hieh "ill bring "ater from the Blue Riwr to Denn'r;
lining of the .\toffJt Tunnel; six miles of 60" conduit and
a mile of S'I" conduit from ;\Ioffat Filter Plant to \X'cst
Florid..! A\enUl' and South Sheridan Boulevard: raising of
the \X'illiJms Fork DJm; boring of thf.' \'asquu Tunnl:!
gi\ing ,Icce~~ [0 \X'illiJ.m~ Fork "all'r; and improH'm~.nt (U
Ihe \'a..quel CanJ.1. Thl' n1J~ni!Udl> of the~e projt.('ts is trf.'-
nll"ndou\. Tht. Roherh Tunnel J.lonl' f('prest"nh on~' of the
~rNlnt o;nrerpri\l'~ in engineering hil[Or~', J.nd will takc
six ~'cJ.rs 10 complclt" In ordt'r to connect a slOragt. re~cr-
\oir for Blul' Rl\t'r "olter Jt Dillon \\ith the :-';onh Furk
of the South P]olIU' Ri\cr. nJnstmnion crcws mus! drill
.Ind bla~t a hort. Z_' milcs lun~ with a di.lmelt'r, "hen linl:d,
of W':\". To ~rl'ed this \\ork. the !Unnel will lx- drilled
from four faces. . . l'a,t and "esl ponals .lnd two from Ihe
h..!sc of a 1.000,f'.M)t \<:rtic.ll sh.lft.

B~ comparison. btuing the :\.15 mill: long \'3sqUCl Tunnel
aprt';Hs Itss fonnidahle. hut it is eXlremd~' \ital [0 ~'our
future, This project i~ schedull'd for complttilln hdorc the
19S8 runoff ~~\,json. \'-hen comr1t'U'd. \X'illiams Furk
"aler can he hrought inro tho; Fra~n'\"J.squt'Z s~'s[em. th.,nn'
lhrough Ihe :'\toffat Tunnel 10 Df.'n\er.

Tht'se tunnel projects an: Ix>jng pushed on a threo;,..hift,
six.d.ly baSI' 10 spt.ed more wdt{'r t() ~ou. Complt-rion of JIt
projects in thc impro\emenr program will boost your Wdtl.t
suppl~' [0 J poin[ Jde<:jU.ltc for J. populJtion of 1.50l.\,OOu,