WSP03463

• File Number: 8141
• Description: Fryingpan-Arkansas Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1951
• Author: Water Dev Assoc of S
• Title: Frying-pan Arkansas Project Domestic Water Suplementary Irrigation Power Suply Flood Control The Dawn of a New Era in Southeastern Colorado
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Project Overview

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POWER FOR
R. E. A.
MUNICIPAL PLANTS
PUBLIC UTILITIES

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'Power System Integration Planned

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power canal, then thru the Elbert hydroelectric power
plant and into the enlarged Twin Lakes reservoir.
From there, the water, increased by tributary inter-
ceptions and by the \~, apaco diversion from the river,
would flow some 40 miles south in the Arkansas power
canal and would be returned to the main stream near
Salida.
Power would be generated en rou te in Otero,
Wapaco, Princeton, Pancho, and Salida hydroelectric
power plants. Forebays would be provided dbove Prince-
ton, Pancho and Salida plants. The existing <!;lear Creek
reservoir (capacity 11,400 acre,feet) would be adapted
for use as an afterbay for the Otero power plant, and an
afterbay would be provided on the Arkansas river for the.
Salida plant.
Some water would be diverted for irrigation ne,]f
Salida and Canon City, and the remainder woulcJ con-
tinue down the river to the potential Pueblo reservoir,
where most of the supplemental irrigation releases would
be made thru the Pueblo hydroelectric power plant.
The irrigated land in the eastern slor~ ~rea which
would benefit directly from the diversion is located princi-
pally along the Arkansas river in Lake, Chaffee, Fremont,
Pueblo, Crowley, Otero, Bent, Prowers, El Paso, Kiowa
and Huerfano counties.
The amount of irrigation water presently available
for the 322,000 acres of irrigated land in the project area
varies considerably from year to year, but seldom is the
supplr adequate and timely for maximum crop produc-
tion. rrigation water shortages as high as 78 per cent of
crop requirements have occurred, and in some instances
long reservoir feeder canals have lost 50 per cent of their
capacity because of sedimentation.

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POWER SYSTEM INTEGRATION PLANNED

The power facilities of the program have been de-
signed for integration with the power facilities of the
Bureau's Colorado, Big Thompson project and with local
utilities to serve a combined power market area. The
combined area comprises roughly twa--thirds of the state
and contains a large majority of the state's population and.
industries.
Seven power plants are contemplated under the
program as follows:
Elbert, 8,700 kilowatt installed capacity; Otero,
19,200, Wapaco, 16,500; Princeton, 11,700, Pancho,
15,000, Salida, 22,700, and Pueblo 11,000.

The seven plants would have a total installed capa.
city of 104,800 kilowatts and gross annual average output
of 505 million kilowatt hours, of which 400 million kilo,
watt hours would be firm energy. Lmses would reduce
the salable energy to' approximately 467 million kilowatt
hours.
Associated major power facilities would include a